Dubai landscape forum date set

Experts from across the globe will converge on Dubai, UAE, early next year to discuss the latest developments in the landscape industry.

The region’s foremost landscaping event, the fourth edition of Middle East Smart Landscape Summit will be held from April 25 to 26, 2016 at Sofitel, The Palm Resort & Spa, according to Expotrade, the event’s organiser.

The summit offers a platform for more than 400 attendees including senior level landscape architects, government authorities, urban planners, developers, environmental specialists and contractors from across the GCC.

The 2016 conference agenda covers topics such as Dubai Municipality’s innovations in landscaping projects, innovations in landscape design and sustainability, artificial turf designs and benefits for Middle East landscapes, smart irrigation techniques and technologies, sustainable development and urban planning in arid environments, and native plant landscaping for the Middle East.

The two-day summit will feature a line-up of top speakers from across the globe.

Smart city initiatives in the spotlight

Leading experts from the building and construction industry discussed solutions and initiatives pivotal for the development of smart cities at the annual Arab Future Cities Summit held last month in Dubai, UAE.

The event, held from November 2 to 3 under the patronage of Dubai Municipality, witnessed participation of more than 350 attendees from across the GCC, said Expotrade, the event’s organiser.

The summit covered different facets of the smart cities domain that ranged from cloud computing to cyber security, from ICT innovation to robotics, and from energy efficiency to hydrology.

Dewa steps up solar energy drive

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) held a workshop aimed at increasing the pace of generating solar energy in the residential sector of the UAE.

Held in co-operation with the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), the workshop titled ‘Accelerating Residential Solar Energy in the UAE’ supported Dewa’s efforts to adopt renewable and clean energy strategies, and its leadership in launching the Shams Dubai initiative to install photovoltaic (PV) solar panels in houses and buildings.

Irena highlighted its Navigator project, a tool for renewable energy entrepreneurs, urban planners, and researchers. Experts from Kuwait, US, Germany, Brazil, and India discussed their experiences with rooftop solar energy systems.