Bahrain has called for more environment-friendly buildings in the Middle East. Experts recommend that less water and energy should be used, and more facilities for on-site recycling should be carried out, among certain other measures.
This issue was raised during the Green Building Designs workshop at the Bahrain Society of Engineers, Juffair, organized by the Amwaj Gateway and Municipalities and Undersecretary for Agricultural Ministry, Dr. Juma Al Ka’abi.
The Amwaj Gateway Chairman, Mohammed Al Tawash said “Amwaj is striving for a prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Certification, the most recognized and implemented third party building assessment tool in the world.”
He added that the “Green” movement has swept all sectors in the regions, and various business-oriented developments too, have adopted the concept. The residential project developers have been attracted by the excellent life-enhancing benefits offered by such solutions.
The growing preference for green development is a strong indication that organizations are beginning to appreciate the importance of sustainable development, and conservation of natural resources, throughout the region, as there is a limitation for essential resources such as freshwater in Middle East. The General Manager of Amwaj Gateway, Rizwan Mumtaz, said that sustainable developments allow communities to look for economic benefits, and also sustain the local environment making them more livable.
Mumtaz said that a leading standard in sustainable development is the “Green Building Design.” This set of policies and guidelines address the pre-design strategies, green building economies, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning systems, passive solar design, indoor air quality, electricity, plumbing, building selection, acoustics, landscaping materials and housekeeping.
The designs reveal that the harmful environmental impact during construction of new buildings could be reduced when proper planning, design, and construction practices are followed. “We aim to use less energy and water than a non-green project, while also incorporating recycling facilities on-site, and reduction of heat island effect, among many other environmentally friendly features. The ‘green’ projects have helped in cutting down electric bills by 20 to 40 percent, and in the long run have given life-time benefits by delivering the solutions that are more valuable to end-users and developers alike.
{Source: http://www.mybahrain.net/}
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