Wherever they are
located, construction industries will always face the issue of environmental
factors and the way in which they are affected due to construction work.
Nowhere more so, however, than in the Middle East. Due to the increasing
importance being put upon environmental and sustainability issues across the
Middle East (areas such as Bahrain, in particular), the construction industry
is now looking to ensure that greater emphasis is placed on both the assessment
and management of the risks associated with environmental liability.
Think
fast.
In order to mitigate – or
ensure effective management of – environmental liability, it is essential,
firstly, that consideration is given to potential environmental factors as
early on as possible. Sufficient assessment of environmental risk from the
offset ensures that you are in the best possible position to face – and react
to – environmental issues further down the line. Furthermore, it demonstrates
essential professionalism and promotes the idea that Middle Eastern
construction companies are, indeed, on par with those around the world –
supported by activity such as the newly adopted Part E building regulations.
Time
to go green?
Mario
Seneviratne, Director of Dubai-based Green Technologies, has said that if
Middle Eastern industries embrace 'green building' technologies instead of
conventional ones, they could "significantly help in tackling environment
problems in addition to long-term financial returns". With this in mind,
it is essential for construction firms to start considering the most
eco-friendly ways to build, thus reducing their environmental impact and, potentially, seeing higher long-term
ROI. Notably, Middle Eastern countries – and the construction firms within them
- appear to be responding favourably to the idea of going green with countries
such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia becoming members of the WorldGreen Building Technology Council (WGBC) that looks to ‘facilitate the global transformation of the
building industry towards sustainability through market driven mechanisms’.
However, the concept that greener buildings inevitably mean more costly buildings
is still a myth that many firms need to dispel; with green technology
increasingly becoming widely available and, more importantly, usable, it should
not be long before more construction firms are open to the possibility of going
green.
