Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) has partnered with Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Abu Dhabi future energy company Masdar to launch its new building retrofit training (BRT) programme next month.

An independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, EmiratesGBC said it has already opened registration for Level One of the BRT programme.

The BRT Programme will kick off on August 16 at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, with the second workshop to be held at the EmiratesGBC office in Dubai on September 13.

The new course is aimed at strengthening the efficiency of existing and new buildings in the UAE and bridging the knowledge gap regarding best practices for retrofitting and building sector efficiency among all stakeholders in the industry, said EmiratesGBC in a statement.

Level One of the BRT Programme is a one-day beginner course that provides foundational knowledge of sustainability to primarily non-technical participants and industry professionals who want an overview of viable retrofit methods applicable in the Gulf region.
 
The course has five sections which cover building management categories including energy, water, air quality, materials and waste and innovative management.

Saeed Al Abbar, the chairman of EmiratesGBC, said the programme is the first of its kind in the region that focuses on strengthening awareness and the skill-sets of building industry stakeholders to enhance the energy efficiency of their existing and new projects.

"The BRT has been carefully created to address specific requirements of the region, and outlines actionable steps that can help achieve the green vision of the nation," noted Al Abbar.
 
The programme, he stated, offers 72 hours of instruction divided into two levels of curricula and caters to participants with varying levels of technical knowledge and experience.

It includes Beginner Level One and Advanced Level Two, and provides detailed introduction and methodology for implementing 32 building retrofit methods in the UAE, he explained.

Expert facilitators lead the training initiative, which is open to all professionals and students. EmiratesGBC members, partners and students of the Masdar Institute (part of the Khalifa University of Science and Technology) will be eligible for a 10 per cent discount on the course fee of Dh1,500 ($408).

The programme has been structured based on the EmiratesGBC Technical Guidelines for Retrofitting Existing Buildings that is available in Arabic and English, and serves as a valuable handbook for all industry stakeholders to achieve higher levels of energy and water efficiency by retrofitting existing buildings.
 
"Through awareness training of the key stakeholders in the industry, we are confident that the programme can help in achieving tangible gains to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings," remarked Al Abbar.

"The benefits of adopting the energy efficiency measures will be far-reaching including lower energy consumption and costs, and an improved quality of life for residents," he added.
 
Ahmed Buti Al Muhairbi, the secretary general of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, said: "As part of the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, we have set a clear goal of retrofitting over 30,000 buildings in the emirate to make them more energy efficient."

"To help achieve the goal, it is important that the building industry stakeholders have a clear understanding of the actionable steps they can take in effective retrofitting. The BRT is a valuable initiative in this direction, and will lend further traction to achieving our goals," observed Al Muhairbi.
 
Dr Nawal Al Hosany, the executive director of sustainability and brand at Masdar, said: "We have been at the forefront of demand-side energy solutions in Abu Dhabi since conducting the city’s first comprehensive audit on behalf of Abu Dhabi Municipality in 2012."

“Since then, we have carried out energy and sustainability audits on more than 100 existing buildings in the emirate, while identifying large-scale retrofitting opportunities for a wide range of clients. Our involvement in the BRT Programme expands on these achievements, raising awareness of the importance of energy efficiency and sustainability best practices in building management in order to meet the development goals of the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service