To support the nation in its move towards higher levels of environmental sustainability, the Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) has rolled out its 2019 Building Retrofit Training (BRT) calendar.

This year, there are two types of BRT workshops – an introductory and an advanced course.

Conducted in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company), the certification-based training sessions are held in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman of EmiratesGBC, said there needed to be a focus on the large stock of existing buildings and their contribution to the decarbonisation of the built environment.

“In addition to our own national targets, there are two important global deadlines approaching – the first is achieving Net Zero Carbon in new buildings by 2030 and the second is ensuring all buildings are Net Zero Carbon buildings by 2050," he said.

“Our Building Retrofit Training programme is a great first step in guiding the industry towards achieving these critical emission targets through retrofitting, which can be cost-efficient, ensure a longer lifespan for the building and have a better return on investment.

"I am confident that the Building Retrofit Programme can support the nation’s agenda and facilitate the process for industry professionals to physically start implementing their own retrofit programmes."

Over the past few years, the BRT programme has had many participants from across the industry who have praised it for its thorough methods in approaching retrofitting in the UAE market.

The BRT programme is complemented by the EmiratesGBC Technical Guidelines for Retrofitting Existing Buildings that is available in Arabic and English, and serves as a valuable reference text for all industry stakeholders to achieve higher levels of energy and water efficiency by retrofitting existing buildings.

The next Introductory courses will be held on 26 June, 4 September and 20 November in Dubai; and 7 August and 23 October in Abu Dhabi. The Advanced courses will be held on 30 June – 1 July, 25-26 September and 11-12 December in Dubai.

For more information and registration, visit the BRT homepage on the EmiratesGBC website.

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