The Past offers vital lessons on future green buildings
2nd November 2009
Bin Towaih’s comments came during his presentation titled ‘TECOM’s Journey to Sustainability’ during the Alter Energy Convention 2009 held from 27-29 October at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. He said: “The green buildings concept that is gaining widespread recognition is, in fact, not new to the region. People who have lived in the desert have always found ways to adapt to prevailing environmental conditions. Traditional homes on the Arabia peninsula were suitably developed to harness the power of natural sunlight while the interiors were kept cool with the use of the wind tower mechanism.
“Although modern technological advances have led many people to move away from these traditional techniques, the unfortunate ramification of such advances have also led to a massive increase in energy consumption and a higher carbon footprint. While we must continuously seek to improve our technological capabilities, we must not do so at the expense of our environment and always remember that our past will remain a source of inspiration not only for the present generation but for the future as well.”
Drawing on TECOM’s experience in transforming its existing buildings into green structures, Bin Towaih said: “We transformed Dubai International Academic City Phase-III Complex into the region’s first and largest LEED-certified education facility. We expect this achievement to save us nearly AED2 million per year in operational costs. It is even more astonishing to learn that this accomplishment is an outcome of a green premium that is as negligible as 0.08 per cent.
“When we turned TECOM Investments’ management office into a LEED Platinum certified commercial interior, the green premium on this was a meagre 0.48 per cent. With these initiatives, we have demonstrated that going green makes strong business and financial sense for any organisation.”
ENPARK was one of the main sponsors of the Alter Energy Convention 2009, a conference-led event held in conjunction with Oil and Gas Show (OGS) 2009, the 16th edition of the premier oil, gas, renewable energy and automation event. In addition to Bin Towaih, leading industry experts such as Hermann Scheer, former member of the German Parliament, and Paul Dickerson from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, offered presentations on a host of related topics seeking to shed light on issues related to the reduction of carbon and water footprint.
See: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20091101084927/Past%20Offers%20Vital%20Lessons%20on%20Future%20Green%20Buildings%2C%20Says%20ENPARK%20Chief/lok084900091101