Oct 27 2008
BRE Global has launched its world-leading environmental standard BREEAM into the Gulf region.
Speaking at the Green Buildings 2008 in Dubai, Martin Townsend, Director of BREEAM said "BREEAM is the oldest established environmental assessment method for buildings which is already adopted by leading clients, developers and others in the UK and all over the world. We are now formally launching BREEAM to clients in the Gulf. We have a robust and tried-and-tested methodology and are rapidly training independent assessors in the region."
BREEAM is already being applied to a number of projects in Qatar, Abu Dhabi and a large free-zone project in Dubai. The information recieved from these projects has been used to shape the criteria, assessment process and scoring so that it is appropriate for local climate conditions, cultural differences and construction practices.
The standard has been specifically tailored to the requirements of the construction industry in the region through collaboration with leading local Green Building Councils and major consultancies and developers.
Examples of this tailoring include the BREEAM credits in the Ecology section, which have been re-appraised to take account of local ecology and the impact of the large near-shore and marine reclamation projects which are more commonplace in the Gulf.
Key supporters of the methodology for the region include WS Atkins. Nicholas Lander, Head of Sustainability for Atkins Middle East & India said "We are delighted to see BREEAM expanding into the region. We have worked with BRE Global providing particular input into the Ecology and Energy sections of the new scheme, helping to tailor it to local conditions. We are also one of the first assessors to be trained and licensed for the region and are looking for our BREEAM business to grow."
In addtion to the initial training that has been provided for assessors, further training dates have also been announced for the 8th-10th December in Dubai. For more information, including details of how to become an assessor for BREEAM in the region, go to www.breeam.org/gulf.