Wiles ... thinking green.
AHEC supports green code for Bahrain
01 May 2012
AHEC has expressed its support for the development of a ‘green building code’ in Bahrain.
The announcement coincided with its participation at the gulfBID – a premium construction exhibition held last month in the country – where in addition to promoting the environmental credentials of US hardwoods, AHEC also hosted a seminar on ‘Designing and working with sustainable American hardwoods’.
“Sustainability, ‘green’ construction, and quality standards have all become important global issues within the design and construction sector, and the introduction of ‘green building codes’ is a positive move across the region,” says Roderick Wiles, AHEC director for Africa, Middle East, India and Oceania. “As the Middle East region makes significant strides in the global movement towards achieving sustainability, we remain committed to further promoting the environmental credentials of American hardwoods.”
Currently, Bahrain is in the process of developing a green building plan for its future city and urban development projects, and the implementation of the proposed building law is expected to minimise electricity and water consumption across the country. According to AHEC, wood is one of the very few materials that boast of environmental credentials that can help buildings comply with enforced ‘green building codes’ and gain accreditation from international green building programmes.
At the expo, Wiles provided in-depth information on the US hardwood forest and the US’ long history of good forest governance. He also spoke about the variety and commercial availability of American hardwood species and the potential they offer for design and end use in the Middle East. An update on the ongoing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on US hardwoods was also shared at the exhibition and seminar.
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