A high-level forum to discuss environment-related challenges and issues facing the construction industry will convene on May 5 in Bahrain. 

The first Green Building Forum, to be held at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), is the first of its type in the Gulf, according to the organisers.

The event will feature debate and discussion among local, regional and international business leaders, environmental pioneers and entrepreneurs on the role of the construction and housing sectors in developing green buildings and a cleaner environment under the theme ‘Innovating to Protect the Environment’.

The Green Building Forum will be held concurrently with the fifth gulfBID exhibition, the leading exhibition for the construction and interiors industry in the Northern Gulf, which will be held from May 4 to 6 at the BIEC.

Topics under the spotlight will include: The Copenhagen Treaty and its relevance to the Gulf; Government regulations and green codes of conduct; Green building in the Gulf; Environmentally-sympathetic design and construction; Challenges for the construction industry and Sustainable building materials; Smart buildings; Renewable energy powering the home; Carbon trading or zero emissions; Innovation in building; Recycling waste; and Green building training and education.

The Green Building Forum is organised by Bahrain-based Hilal Conferences & Exhibitions (HCE) in association with leading international event consultancy North Star Associates. HCE and North Star co-organised the highly successful Gulf Industry Forum in Bahrain in January.

Jubran Abdulrahman, managing director, HCE said: “The Green Building Forum is enormously relevant to the construction industry and the wider world. The Gulf’s construction sector is now looking to address environmental challenges and harness new opportunities and the forum provides the intellectual platform for a high level exchange of information and opinions from regional and international experts.”

Ahmed Suleiman, managing director, North Star Associates, said: “The forum is a demonstration of Bahrain’s potential as a base for intellectual exchange on a number of key issues that are important to the future of the environment wherever we are. The Green Building Forum is a debating chamber relating not only to construction but also energy usage, waste recycling, sustainable building materials and design.

“Moreover the forum will highlight education as a key component to changing our perceptions. That the power to make a difference is within the hands of everyone is the message that we hope delegates will take from the forum,” he said.

Seats at the forum are limited and early registration is advised, said the organisers. – TradeArabia News Service