The green revolutionaries

A maze of systems, regulations and accreditation greets contractors who want to prove their sustainable credentials.

This system has evolved, and last year, LEED v3 was launched, comprising of LEED 2009, a new LEED Online and a new building certification model. But its relevance to the climate of the Gulf is still debated: insiders tell CW that the World Green Buildings Council has – as yet – failed to deliver a region-specific version of LEED.

Then there is the UK-based BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), the most widely used measure of environmental credentials aimed at property developers, designers and building managers.

Though it aims to meet the demands of the Middle East market with the launch of BREEAM Gulf, critics argue that the welter of additional sub-schemes such as BREEAM In Use and BREEAM Communities sees the system dilute its strength.

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Abu Dhabi’s Estidama system, with its Pearl rating, based on seven environmental criteria at its centre, is the most recent addition. The system is at the core of the emirate’s 2030 plan, and the Urban Planning Council has worked with the team developing Estidama to create constant monitoring of sustainability through four pre-defined categories: environmental, economic, social and cultural.

James Reed, UPC’s development manager for the Capital District, told CW earlier this year that it planned to ‘create a sustainable city that is also culturally sustainable’, while pushing for a mandatory adoption of the measure.

A plethora of different systems may have fragmented the collective message and obscured what environmental recognition might mean in reality. Some questions remain as relevant as ever: should the business case for sustainability be made and emphasised? Should an existing system be adapted, or a new one created altogether?

Within the regional debate, certain individuals and companies have stood out for their commitment to sustainability; leaders who have seen the potential of a different approach, as well as the latest technology, to address both the ecological and financial benefits of sustainable building.

The achievements of individuals, companies and projects need to be highlighted as milestones in the development of a sustainable approach to construction.

If the idea that sustainability will take hold in the region is too far-fetched for some, look back a few years to what is now seen as the world’s leading region for sustainable building, Europe.

As one attendee at the Building Sustainability conference told CW: “‘Green’ was resisted violently by industry in Europe for many years, until people did their homework and found there were green processes that were cheaper than the old-established ones, and that there was money to be made from waste, rather than paying for someone to truck it away. Now, most businesses are accustomed to looking at all aspects of everything they do, because they have understood that it improves the bottom line.”