Leading developers and building operators from across the Middle East region have been invited to submit their entries by September 29 for the region’s first Honeywell Smart Building Awards.

The awards were launched earlier this year to recognise and celebrate innovation that makes buildings more efficient, safe and productive, said a statement from technology and manufacturing leader Honeywell.

Dozens of submissions have been received from several building verticals, including hotels, airports, office towers and high-rise residential buildings till now, it stated.

The Honeywell Smart Building Awards will crown the region’s smartest airport, hotel, hospital, educational and retail facilities, as well as the leading high-rise office and residential buildings, said the statement.

Entries are being accepted from facilities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, with the awards program being supported by strategic partner, MEED.

The winners of the Middle East’s smartest building will be announced in November in the lead up to the UAE’s Innovation Week, a nationwide celebration launched as part of the UAE’s National Innovation Strategy.

Global advisors Ernst & Young will audit the awards and perform onsite checks on the highest scoring buildings to validate the applications, said the statement.

The criteria that will be used to judge the winners is based on the Honeywell Smart Building Score, which assesses the effective use of 15 technology assets to determine how green, safe and productive a facility is.

Honeywell will then name the smartest buildings in each industry – airports, hotels, hospitals, offices, residential, education and retail – as well as the leading building in each participating country, said a top official.

"The awards are the first of their kind in the Middle East and aim to drive innovation in the region’s buildings and therefore the cities they lie within," remarked Norm Gilsdorf, president of Honeywell’s Middle East, Russia and central Asia region.

"The number of entries we’ve received to date underscores the many investments made to meet the smart city visions set out by the region’s governments and we’re excited to be part of the innovation we’re witnessing across the Middle East," he added.-TradeArabia News Service