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Rapid development in the Middle East from an industrial, financial and technological point of view has created some challenges for the region in terms of sustainability.
Not everything you’d expect to be part of the phenomenal growth has been addressed with rigour.
Effort is being made to raise the bar in terms of sustainability, though in residential communities, commercial and industrial facilities, and in city infrastructure, many challenges still need to be overcome.
Governments are increasingly looking for help to better manage asset portfolios whilst developers and financial institutions are focusing on improving the way construction sites are run and workplaces are served.
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Furthermore, the region begins to focus more on consolidation than development in the aftermath of the global recession and many of the key issues that were problematic before, are being tackled.
There are critical issues that need addressing: water and energy supply and conservation and waste management.
Some progress has been made in each area, but this needs to continue to ensure quality of life, the environment and economic development can remain balanced.
Within the region, there are examples of where improvements can be made. In the Ramadan period the remains of the Iftar meals served to labourers on the street are often left on the roadside rather than in the municipal bin. Similarly, when waterless urinals are installed into high rise buildings, they are done so without the necessary explanation to the residents who continue to think they are unclean.
The Gulf and the UAE in particular are also major consumers of water. Every day roads are being cleaned with water instead of sustainable alternatives. Again, an education process is required; for even if the price of water was tripled, behaviours would not change as the decision maker in the front yards of villas are not paying the water bill.
From a waste management perspective it has been difficult to build a viable supply chain as the level of growth has been so fast that existing infrastructure was well below standard and could not cope with the change in lifestyles, let alone the influx of people.
Carbon trading, sustainable design, waste disposal, recovery and composting also need much more focus if the region is to avoid significant roadblocks to future development.
In our workplace support for clients, sustainability is becoming more important, but the capability of service providers to meet the standards of global corporations is variable and is proving to be a major hurdle for many companies that have promised stakeholders a certain level of compliance.
An initiative would be to educate occupants and improve understanding through targeted communication methods and by providing the technology needed, to enable more sustainable operations.
Another, is ensuring designers use recyclable materials and specifying fittings that optimise energy consumption. In addition, ensure designs of facilities are optimised for occupants so that incentives to reduce consumption can be monitored effectively.
Reporting on sustainability is important and can be facilitated by enabling improved information management. Things such as incident reporting, process compliance monitoring, and tracking on targets all come into play here.
Local smart metering will allow you to provide consumption feedback to customers, ensuring they pay only for their usage.
Adoption of technology is assisting in many areas, but again, a lack of understanding of the opportunities to reduce operating costs by using new systems means the amazing systems, materials and equipment that exist may never deliver on their potential, without education and change management.
Bernie Devine is the regional head of service - Asset Performance & Facilities Management at EC Harris.
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