Jotun Paints has joined hands with Emirates Green Building Council (Emirates GBC), an organisation aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices in the UAE, to host a key networking event in Dubai.

The networking event on ‘Paints and Building Sustainibility,’ will be held on Tuesday (September 27) at the Novotel Hotel, said a statement from Jotun Paints.

The event is expected to draw in the participation of key stakeholders in the construction industry like consultants, developers, architects, interior designers and contractors.

Jotun Paints, a key corporate member of Emirates GBC, said the joint initiative was part of its continued call to the Middle East region’s construction segment to adopt more ‘green’ building policies.

The event will feature a special panel discussion with resource speakers and senior officials from the Emirates GBC and Jotun including: Bent Haflan, group vice president R&D - Decorative, Jotun A/S; Malek El Husseini, business development director, GE Healthcare; Tyrone Lawson, sustainability technical director, WSP Group and Samuel Keehn, environmental and sustainability manager, EMS.

During the event, Haflan is set to make a presentation on ‘Paints contribution to Sustainability’ and Jotun’s latest line of eco-friendly paints, ‘Jotashield Extreme’.

The panel discussions will touch on key topics like ‘Is being Green a trend or a response to a true awakening in the Middle East,’ ‘Are the terms ‘Green Building’ and ‘Green Construction’ misused?,’ ‘The growing concern towards Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect’ and ‘The challenges of building sustainability in the Middle East.’

“Our co-operation with the Emirates GBC will allow us to further our commitment towards calling for the adoption of more ‘green’ building policies in the Middle East region, in general and the UAE in particular,” said Haflan.

Adnan Sharafi, chairman, Emirates GBC, said the networking event underlines its commitment to actively involve various stakeholders in the building supply chain and promote the importance of sustainable built environments.

'Every aspect of building development can be managed effectively to make it environmentally sustainable, and a concerted approach by all our partners will help us to achieve our vision of a greener city,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service