Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, has launched its 2016 Awards to recognise excellence in sustainability initiatives by organisations and individuals from across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

In addition, 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.

Announcing the awards, the chairman Saeed Al Abbar, said since its inception in 2006, EmiratesGBC had strived to promote awareness of best practices in sustainable built environments.
"In the past few years, we have witnessed an increasing number of sustainable initiatives being undertaken in the region, as it continues to evolve into a more environmentally conscious society," he noted.

"We developed the EmiratesGBC Awards with the aim of highlighting and celebrating those initiatives that stand out and have strong potential to help establish a regional model for the sustainable built environment," remarked Al Abbar.

"Over the years, we continue to receive more and more interesting entries that are supporting the country in its efforts to becoming a global centre of green energy and economy," he added.

The awards will be given in the following six categories:

*Green Facility Management Organisation of the Year - recognition for a UAE-based facility managment 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 Mena 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 Al Abbar.

The EmiratesGBC Awards are regional awards, and this year for the first time, the applications can be submitted in English or Arabic, he added.

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

The last date for submissions of entries for both awards is February 18 next year. The winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner on May 18 in Dubai.-TradeArabia News Service