Gulf Construction Online - Big 5 focuses on emission reduction in buildings

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Big 5 Global drew more than 81,000 visitors.

Big 5 focuses on emission reduction in buildings

01 January 2024

The global construction industry needs to adapt by prioritising the orientation of future buildings and promoting the retrofitting of existing assets to reduce emissions. This was a consensus reached by leaders and high-profile speakers at the Big 5 Global Leaders’ Summit, held last month (December) alongside the 44th edition of Big 5 Global in Dubai.

During the opening of the summit, Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Former Minister of Climate Change and Environment in the UAE, called on the industry to evaluate its impact on the environment.

Addressing a global audience of delegates comprising government officials, industry thought leaders, experts and innovators, Dr Al Nuaimi stressed that with growing public awareness, the industry must adopt bold objectives to combat emissions and make the industry more sustainable.

Engineer Maryam Al Muhairi, CEO of the Buildings Regulation & Permits Agency at Dubai Municipality, highlighted that an incremental surge in the adoption of cutting-edge construction systems and innovative building technologies are poised to significantly reduce energy consumption in buildings.

Meanwhile, speakers at the Big 5 FutureTech Summit highlighted critical dialogues on future-proofing the sector for a tech-enabled future. The content programme at Big 5 Global also hosted a day of conversations around the impact of artificial intelligence on design and architecture at Everything Architecture.

Supported by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy (DCDE), construction innovation also came to life at Start-up City, where the pitch competition crowned winners for their pivotal role in reshaping traditional practices in the sector.

Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of DCDE, said: “Start-up City creates a valuable platform for engagement that brings together emerging industry players to showcase their innovative ideas and shape the future of construction.”

“The chamber’s support for this timely event comes as part of our drive to nurture promising technology companies and advance the emirate’s digital transformation agenda. We remain committed to cementing Dubai’s position as a leading global hub for the digital economy in line with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33),” he added.

CPD-certified Big 5 Talks

Covering a broad range of pertinent topics, more than 130 CPD-certified Big 5 Talks were held under 10 streams including concrete, facades, facilities management, geotechnical, HVAC & MEP, offsite and modular, project management, solar, technology and urban design and landscape.

Speakers highlighted technology adoption, sustainable building methods, geothermal energy adoption and urgent industry needs to efficiently improve materials to reduce the impact of climate change.

“We all know about the climate emergency; we need to be able to make good material selections to reduce the impact. And for all of this, digital tools are going to be very helpful,” stated Belarmino Cordero, Managing Director of Eumada, who spoke at Facade Talks.

Echoing the common sentiment on the adoption of BIM at the Technology Talks, Dr Ing Ali Ismail, BIM expert at Dubai Municipality, said: “We do our best to build a community, an interesting group of people and companies who believe in the value of using open BIM standards and believe in improving our industry by deepening collaboration as individuals and companies.”

The 2023 edition of Big 5 Global (December 4 to 7) was hailed as a huge success with the event recording a staggering attendance of more than 81,000 visitors from 166 countries.

Bringing together the biggest names in construction in Dubai for four days, Big 5 Global served as a hub for major deals and partnerships, further solidifying the importance of exhibitions in facilitating strong business relations, said Josine Heijmans, Vice President – Construction at dmg events, the organisers of Big 5 Global.

“This year, Big 5 Global surpassed expectations, attracting the highest ever number of construction professionals from various corners of the world, fostering an environment conducive to sharing expertise, developing global partnerships and showcasing new advancements in construction technology and practices,” Heijmans said.

“I believe that in today’s dynamic construction landscape, Big 5 Global plays a pivotal role as a catalyst for thought leadership and business transformation. The event not only fosters impactful dialogues from industry leaders, but also converges high-quality, leading-edge products on a global scale. This scalability is a testament to the industry’s evolution, demonstrating how Big 5 Global effectively accommodate the burgeoning demand for access to pioneering solutions across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia,” she stated.