Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) says registration is now open for Beginner Level 1 courses of its Building Retrofit Training (BRT) programme being held this month.
The courses are being conducted in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Masdar with the certification-based training held in Abu Dhabi on 17 April, and in 30 April Dubai.
The Level One workshop is an introduction course to Building Retrofit and EmiratesGBC says it is intended for less technical participants, industry professionals and students, and introduces the purpose and benefits of retrofitting existing buildings and the impact it has on enhancing energy efficiency and in mitigating carbon emissions.
“We have set two important targets for zero carbon emissions – the first is achieving Net Zero Energy in new buildings by 2030 and the second is ensuring all buildings are Net Zero Energy Buildings by 2050, as directed by the World Green Building Council based on the Paris Climate Change Agreement,” said Saeed Al Abbar, chairman, EmiratesGBC. “There are many critical elements required for the UAE’s building stock to reach these goals, one of which is conducting deep retrofits of existing buildings due to high energy consumption associated with a large building stock. The BRT programme has been designed to strengthen awareness and the skill-sets of building industry stakeholders to enhance the energy efficiency of their existing and new projects. We are confident the programme is a great first step in guiding the industry towards achieving these critical emission targets.”
The BRT programme is 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.
Level One of the BRT programme is a one-day beginner course covering five building management categories including: energy, water, air quality, materials and waste and innovative management, and is conducted by expert facilitators. The course also provides an overview of viable retrofit methods applicable in the Gulf region. An Advanced Level Two course will be launched later this year. Course dates have been scheduled for the 2018 calendar and can be viewed along with other details on the EmiratesGBC BRT webpage.
