With warning bells being sounded worldwide on the dangers posed by global warming, Dubai is scrutinising the innovative “green-friendly” solutions on offer and implementing measures to ensure environmentally friendly and sustainable buildings, says Dominick Rodrigues.

01 December 2007

The cities of Mumbai, New York and Tokyo will slowly vanish underwater if the West Antarctica ice sheet melts due to global warming, Dr Elisabeth Ness, Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, warned at a meeting on “Climate Change –  Reshaping our World” organised by the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG).

With CO2 levels higher and rising to the extent that by 2099, temperatures will be 10 degrees warmer, the effect will be devastating on the Antarctica which contains 80 per cent of the earth’s stored up fresh water, Dr Ness said while screening a film of the Royal Institution of Great Britain that demonstrated scientifically the effects of the climate change on Antarctica including the earth being warmer by 3 deg C in the next 15 years.
She noted that sustainable reconstruction is one of the many efforts needed to save the earth. Sustainable reconstruction means constructing “inspiring” buildings that are environmentally sustainable and sensitive to climate change, companies using timber from certified sources and energy-savings-driven technology, sustainable sites and lifetime costing, Ness added.
Sustainable development methods can be incorporated into buildings at any stage, including renovation and maintenance. However, the most significant benefits can be achieved by integrating a green approach from the inception phase.
In practice, a ‘green building’ incorporates measures such as the optimised use of natural light, renewable energy sources and district cooling systems, to enhance the comfort of building occupants in an energy-efficient and environmentally-responsive manner. International research reveals that green buildings reduce long-term operational and energy-related costs, while also minimising the disruptive impact on the environment. These buildings also promote indirect benefits, such as improved worker performance and productivity gains.
The alarm bells have started ringing about effects of global warming and countries worldwide are rushing to correct or prevent this problem.
While the UAE and other countries in the Gulf have already begun emphasising environmental protection and guidelines, the Japanese are highlighting their adherence to the environment-related Kyoto Protocol through energy-saving technologies and lifestyle change to become one of the most energy-efficient nations in the world with the lowest CO2 emission per capita. These efforts included environment-friendly buildings and engineering, green branding, marketing green/environmentally-friendly technologies and urging developers to go “greener” through environmentally-sound real estate, tougher building/emission regulations and carbon taxes/credits.
Flush with the success of their efforts, the Japanese came to the UAE last month to share their ideas and technology through “Cool City” –  a sustainable urban project using eco-friendly, energy-saving and low carbon emission technology.
The Japanese delegation that visited Dubai and Abu Dhabi comprised numerous top Japanese business leaders, government advisers and other technical experts. Mitsuo Nakamura, president of Nikken Sekkei, Japan and a representative of the Sustainable Urban Development Consortium for Japan and Gulf States Partnership (SDCJ), said that following the oil crisis in the 70s, Japan allocated substantial resources towards energy-saving initiatives and since then pioneered research into energy and environmental technology. The team had come to the UAE to share its technological advances and help the UAE make a significant contribution in reducing its carbon footprint, he said, while noting that “Cool City” incorporates the latest tried-and-tested green technology in urban development, architecture and transport with a low carbon footprint by consuming up to 60 per cent less energy than a conventional urban area.
Jiyoshi Kurokawa, special adviser to the Japanese Cabinet and keynote speaker at the SDCJ symposium held in Dubai last, highlighted his country’s initiative “Cool Earth 50” which aims at reducing emission of greenhouse gases globally by half by 2050.

Cool City
Japan’s environmentally-conscious architecture offers a “triple-win structure” for developers, end-users and society at large. The visiting delegation proposed the development in the region of a “Cool City” – which that unites technologies of the 11 SDCJ companies into one ideal model city through sustainable urban development and architecture, thus reducing the environmental burden on the earth while providing an enjoyable lifestyle under even challenging natural conditions such as deserts.
As per the proposal, the Central Business District (CBD) of the Cool City will feature lush greenery including roof-top vegetation and water. The city will also promote the use of daylight, and ways to manage heat through heat islands and smart buildings and passive energy-use ventilations;  and building will be configured such that sea breezes blow into the city, and planned rooftop vegetation. A canal will provide a place of recreation and relaxation by cooling down the air andl creating paths for wind movement into the city and a photovoltaic farm will generate electricity from sunlight, while vegetation comprising Jatropha plants will surround the city to control sand erosion.
Rooftop vegetation will serve as a garden and provide heat insulation, while tall trees will block direct sunlight and heat radiation from surrounding buildings and also create comfortable breezes underneath by lowering surface temperatures. A dry mist system will be employed for outdoor cooling and a district cooling system will ensure 13 per cent saving of primary energy through high-efficiency cogeneration, absorption chillers and centrifugal chillers.
The city will also feature a multi-source energy network through an integrated and harmonised energy distributing system comprising: a district heating and cooling system for wide area energy management, various types of decentralised power units (solar power, fuel cell, biomass power plant and wind turbine)  for higher energy conservation, renewable energy by effective use of garbage and other biomass and micro-grid to organise decentralised power units.
About 70 per cent of the solar radiation will be blocked by high-performance glass that features sunlight modulation and redirection of daylight to needed areas, while thermal insulation coatings will reduce surface temperature by more than 20 deg C.
“Eco Towers” will rise high in the CBD and, together with the “Eco Residences,” will harness energy from their surroundings from elements such as light, wind and water which, in combination with leading-edge, high-efficiency technologies, will create a low-energy consuming environment.
Cool City will feature an intelligent transportation system comprising monorail, light rail transport and water transport systems that will ensure less traffic jams and lower carbon dioxide emissions. One of these systems is from Hitachi monorail which is environmentally friendly as well as less noisy, as it features rubber tyres. The system is in use in Japan, Singapore, while also coming up on the Palm Island, Jumeirah.
Takuma Hatano, Japanese Ambassador to the UAE, said the construction boom in the UAE needs sustainable development technologies such as those highlighted in the Cool City design, which would set environmental standards for the rest of the region. The UAE has the capability, infrastructure and development to suitably incorporate this Japanese technology, he said.
Dubai is already focusing on implementing green solutions in its construction industry, following a directive from UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum through the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015.
Dubai’s decision to prioritise green building standards, which comes into effect from next month (January 2008), reflects the emirate’s commitment to address environmental challenges such as climate change and global warming. The plan outlines the emirate’s goal of ensuring sustainable development of its infrastructure. It also highlights specific objectives in four strategic areas that include:
Improved urban planning for optimising land use in order to meet needs of sustainable development while preserving natural resources;
Meeting and securing energy, electricity and water needs by developing an integrated policy framework; securing long-term supplies and studying options for managing demand;
Sustaining Dubai’s environment to ensure that it is safe and clean through upgrading and aligning environmental regulations with international standards; and
Developing the required enforcement mechanisms; integrating environment-related issues into development policies and programmes; and raising the level of environmental awareness.
Implementation of this prestigious plan has already begun in the emirate through various developers and projects.

DMC
The Dubai Maritime City (DMC), which is the world’s first purpose-built maritime centre, has instructed its developers and contractors to include green building principles in the design and construction of all buildings within the city. According to the DMC’s masterplan, all developers must obtain green building certification under the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).  In addition, all buildings in the DMC will be reviewed to assess the degree of compliance with the environmental requirements in terms of design, operations and best practices, according to Amer Ali, chief executive officer.
The key focus of the green building design will include energy consumption conservation measures such as reduced use of non-renewable resources; reduced waste pollutants; maximised opportunities for passive ventilation and cooling; enhanced indoor environmental air quality; enhanced community life; use of solar energy; specification of appropriate material performances; use of thermally-efficient glazing and energy-efficient mechanical systems; incorporation of recycling strategies; and maximised opportunities for efficient water consumption.

DWTC
The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) authorities are also highlighting their commitment to sustainability by confirming that all properties in their portfolio will be built to the highest standards of sustainable design and architecture in line with the Dubai Strategic Plan. Launched in 2006, DWTC’s major urban development – Dubai Trade Centre District (DTCD) – was among the first in the region designed for construction according to the highest LEED Green Building Standards. DTCD Phase One will offer more than 240,000 sq m of Grade A office space with an investment of more than Dh2.5 billion in office space alone.
DWTC will ensure that it incorporates sustainability principles through the complete development lifecycle of its properties, including design, construction, operation and maintenance. Buildings within its developments will be environmentally-sustainable and will make the best use of naturally-lit spaces alongside landscaped terraces. Through the UAE Green Building Council, DWTC is also looking to encourage innovative use of energy-saving and carbon neutral technology throughout the construction process, and to ensure that facilities are in place to minimise the impact on the environment once its developments become operational.
“DWTC has been a long-standing proponent of environmentally-conscious development and design, to ensure that we are contributing to Dubai’s positioning as a healthy and environment-friendly city,” said Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general, Dubai World Trade Centre.
“As well as being a core part of our corporate social responsibility, enforcing green building standards makes sound economic sense. In addition to producing energy savings and reduced utility costs, we are also ensuring we can attract some of the world’s leading businesses as tenants, since global companies increasingly demand the highest environmentally-sustainable building standards,” he added.

Nakheel
Master developer Nakheel –  creator of The Palm and The World –  is working with the International Sustainability Advisory Group to review the sustainability of its operation and projects including energy efficiency, waste management, provision of open spaces and ensuring developments offer an optimal combination of work, living and leisure facilities.  The developer has business and tourism projects worth over $30 billion, covering more than 2 billion sq ft of land besides adding 1,000 km of shoreline to Dubai’s coast.

Emaar
Emaar Properties, meanwhile, has announced that it has received ISO 14001:2004 certification for its environmental management processes, making the company the first property developer in the region with ISO accreditations for adherence to both quality and environmental standards.
Ahmad Al Matrooshi, UAE managing director, Emaar Properties, said: “Climate change and sustainable environmental practices are today’s watchwords, and as a socially-responsible developer, Emaar is committed to creating lifestyle neighbourhoods that addresses environmental concerns.”
Emaar is at the forefront of environmentally-friendly development practices and uses sustainable technologies wherever possible, besides further strengthening its commitment to creating ‘green buildings’ that promote energy-efficiency and avoid wastage of precious resources, he said, adding that Emaar’s Earth Watch recycling initiative within its master-planned communities has been a phenomenal success and the company is extending it to all its projects.

DREC
Dubai Real Estate Corporation (DREC) has extended full support to Sheikh Mohammed’s green building initiative by announcing that it will ensure that all government-registered properties are constructed according to world-class standards of sustainable development. Established in June this year to operate as a full-solution real estate company, DREC announced that it will be one of the first companies in the UAE to immediately implement green building principles across the full spectrum of its property portfolio, with energy and water reduction measures to be incorporated in its residential, commercial, industrial, hospitality and tourism-focused developments. The move will ensure that all properties registered in the name of the Dubai Government or any of its departments are constructed according to world-class standards of sustainable development.
“We fully support this remarkable initiative as it will ensure that Dubai will become an iconic destination for many generations in the future because of its recyclable, renewable and sustainable environment,” said Hisham Al Qassim, chief executive officer of DREC. “Our future projects will incorporate the best standards and systems available, based on international best practices as recommended by the Dubai Government.

Union Properties
Another leading UAE property developer Union Properties announced last month that it received an award from Dubai Quality Group for its Green Community – a 67-hectare mixed-use development that has adopted environment solutions such as energy-saving devices like timers for street lights, installation of variable frequency drive for water pumps and control temperature through a BMS system.
Water & waste disposal
Turning to water conservation, statistics show that the UAE has the second highest per capita water consumption after the US and Dubai produces 70 million gallons of sewage daily, according to Hisham Bukhari of Dubai Municipality.
While Dubai Municipality and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) are working together to create awareness about water conservation, the municipality is recycling 90 per cent of sewage and 70 per cent of other waste water.
Meanwhile, Dr Mohammed Saeed Al Kindi, UAE Minister of Environment and Water, said during an EEG Clean-Up UAE press conference last month that the ministry is monitoring strictly compliance on construction waste disposal by all companies dealing in construction and property developments in the emirates.
“We are in contact with each of the seven emirates in the UAE and provide advice and follow-up in this regard,” he said while pointing out that islands being built in the sea are using normal rocks for breakwaters instead of cement or other products that would affect the water.
Waste management companies too are doing their bit to help the environment and sustainable development by reducing waste. The UAE-based Septech Emirates is assisting Sharjah Municipality in upgrading its sewage treatment facilities –  from the septic tank soak-away systems to a new centralised sewage plant with capacity for treating effluent produced by towns with a population of more than 5,000. The installations at Khor Fakkan and Kalba enable use of treated effluent for irrigation purposes, thus benefiting the environment.
David Hefferman, managing director of Septech Emirates, said the need for using treated effluent was necessary in view of the costly practice of using desalinated water and the new treatment installations would benefit nearby nurseries in Kalba which supply plants to the Sharjah Municipality.
Septech will also be installing two sewage treatment plants – each worth Dh 1 million — for a major regional construction company and also for a leading university in Saudi Arabia. These plants, which are 70 per cent smaller than conventional aeration tanks, rely on significantly-reduced levels of energy compared to conventional sewage treatment plants.
Elsewhere in the region, with greater awareness of the need for action, efforts are now being made to go green. Shabban Towers at the Pearl-Qatar, Qatar’s pioneering man-made island development, aims to be the first carbon-neutral development in the region. It features the use of high-thermal-value block cladding, changes in the electrical and mechanical specification and skim coat plaster to reduce the need of cement, among other features (see Regional News, page 15).
The proposed mega Energy City Qatar (ECQ) is planning to get the US’ Green Building Council’s LEED rating by 2011, and will allow only “green” buildings within the 72-hectare energy hub (see Regional News, page 18).

• Dubai launches a green initiative
• Knowledge Village gets UAE’s first solar tracker
• Sharjah landfill remediation nearly complete

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