‘Green’ Jeddah drive takes center stage at Big 5 show

Opening The Big 5 Saudi 2013, Jeddah Municipality Mayor Hani Mohammad Aburas has confirmed the country’s commitment to green building and sustainable construction.
At the inaugural ceremony, he said: “We are optimistic that our country will continue leading the construction sector, because of the support given by the Saudi government.
“Jeddah Municipality is working on a number of infrastructure and construction projects, and on making Jeddah a green city, therefore there is a focus on sustainability in all its future projects.”
Green building and sustainable construction are key topics being addressed at The Big 5, which ends at Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events today after a four-day run. Exhibitors from around the world have come to demonstrate their expertise in this field, with a number of international and regional experts also flying in to help deliver insight and best practice in dedicated workshops.
The LEED workshop takes place over two days, identifying key components of the LEED ratings systems and provide participants with a greater understanding of how they can be applied in practice, facilitated by Mario Seneviratne, a LEED fellow and director of Green Technologies FZCO, who will bring with him over 34 years of sustainable engineering experience.
“Sustainable construction has been a consistently popular topic at The Big 5 Saudi and its influence on the products and technologies being offered are considerable. With such significant projects currently under way and planned for the Kingdom over the coming years, the interest in finding out more about the theoretical and practical aspects of green building has grown and we anticipate a very productive workshop on this subject.”
Many of the event’s exhibitors will be displaying their commitment to sustainable construction at the event, including Qatar Steel that specializes in the manufacturing of direct reduction iron/hot briquetted iron, which proactively contributes to the reduction of toxic emissions from the plant. In addition, German-based Henkel ensures its products are made with the expectation that they should make a contribution to a sustainable development in at least one of its focal areas — energy & climate, water & wastewater, materials, health & safety or social progress.
Apricus Solar unveils its latest range of flat plate collectors at the exhibition, with Andre Cossette showcasing its new 65dB sound barrier quality blocks, which has the highest thermal efficiency of any concrete block in the market today.
The Big 5 Saudi hosts more than 550 exhibitors from 36 countries.