Conference to tackle challenges in green building

The Saudi Green Building Forum will be held at Riyadh’s Four Seasons Hotel on Oct. 13-16 under the aegis of Prince Mansour bin Miteb, minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, and in the implementation of King Abdullah’s initiative. High-profile experts from both the Kingdom and abroad will attend the event.
The third annual intellectual think-tank event will involve a conference, workshop, exposition, and project case studies of the current year as well as discuss green building and energy technologies.
According to Faisal Al-Fadi, the forum’s secretary-general, the conference will provide a dominant platform for discussing challenges for green building related to the sustainability to promote green building initiatives in Saudi Arabia, to boost business collaboration, unveil new employment opportunities, and enhance the built environment across the kingdom.
He said the presentations, panel discussion and case studies at the conference would challenge issues such as expansion of green building, sustainable urban development, and Saudi Arabia’s position as a frontrunner – a hub of the fastest growing construction and projects market in the Middle East and North
Africa.
Al-Fadi noted that the green market had witnessed swift expansion over the past three years and with the government and private sector companies in support of international green building standards and initiatives. The US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) registrations and certifications have significantly increased since the inception of the Saudi Green Building Forum in 2010. This increase makes it evident that more and more organizations, people and governments are aspiring to create a sustainably built environment and legislation.
The forum’s conference and projects case studies will continue to stay as a significant means of aiding the development of laws and regulations set by King Abdullah Green Building initiatives; enhancing the comprehensive collection of standards and guidance systems that is being implemented in the Kingdom; signifying the building information modeling technology; strengthening relation with industry stakeholders; delivering information, analysis and insights into available business opportunities; and building cultural awareness of local urban development.
In his statement, Prince Mansour said: “This meeting represents a valuable opportunity to review the achievements of previous recommendations, including more than one axis, either as assigned to the government sector, professional bodies or entrusted to the private sector.”
Among the distinguished speakers are Mohammed Al-Suwaiyel, president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology; Abdullah Al-Muqbil, mayor of Riyadh municipality; Edward Burton, president and managing director of the US-Saudi Arabian Business Council; Mohamed Al-Mady, SABIC vice chairman and CEO; Amer Kayani, minister counselor of commercial affairs at Riyadh Embassy in the US; and Abdulrahman Al-Jeraisy, chairman of Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.