Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, is seeking entries from leading organisations for its coveted sustainable building awards.

The EmiratesGBC awards are being given to recognise the excellence in sustainable building practices.

Besides this, EmiratesGBC is also running the 2016 Dr Owainati Student Excellence Award to honour a student from a recognised university in the UAE who has conducted exceptional research work in a subject related to green buildings in the Middle East.

The last date for sending entries (in English or Arabic) for the awards is February 18.

The awards are being given in the following six categories:

*Green Facility Management Organisation of the Year rewarding a UAE-based FM organisation for its commitments towards sustainability;
*Green Building Material/Product Award for the successful introduction to the Mena region of a construction material or product/component which addresses green building principles;
*Green Building System Award for a building system that provides a more sustainable solution to green building construction than traditional construction methods;
*Green Building Research Award for research that establishes dependable data, in an area not previously available, related to green building performance;
*Training Initiative of the Year for the best sustainability training initiative in the region; and
*Green Building of the Year, for buildings finalised in the past three years in the region that show excellence in terms of design, construction site management, waste and green standards.

This honour is presented in four sub-categories including Green Hotel, Green Commercial Building, Green Residential Building and? Green School, said the statement from EmiratesGBC.

To qualify for the Dr Owainati Student Excellence Award, sponsored by EmiratesGBC co-founder Dr. Sadek Owainati, and open only for students from any university in the UAE, the research topic must be directly applicable to green building design, technology, construction or operation with emphasis on its applicability in the region.

On the awards, EmiratesGBC chairman Saeed Al Abbar said: "We have received some interesting entries so far and would like to encourage everyone to continue sending through their ideas and projects."

"The region is implementing great sustainable initiatives in the building sector and it is important that we all make sure they are showcased and celebrated to lead by example," he added.-TradeArabia News Service