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| All eyes on the Middle East for the facade industry According to a new report conducted by Proleads Research House there are US$698 billon worth of construction projects still active in the United Arab Emirates. Taking this into account it is no wonder that Dubai is now the headquarters for the regional chapter of the Society of Facade Engineers (SFE). "Due to local pressure, we were asked to bring the society to Dubai in early 2008 and now have a growing membership of facade professionals in the region, " said Chris Macey, Vice-Chairman, SFE. Macey is however concerned about the situation in the UAE. "There are a number of fairly significant things that we can do now to improve the quality and the lifetime performance of the buildings although this is not to decry the skills of the market, " explained Macey. "But if you are going to complete buildings with sustainable performances, you need to understand and appreciate the environmental performances of a building's facade in advance, before you design, construct and erect and thereafter go through a series of verification exercises which check the "as built" performance. This might include air pressure testing." Macey estimates that most buildings in the UAE have leakage rates in excess of 30 cubic meters, which represents 300% more than is easily achieved in other parts of the world, and clearly indicates a significant energy cost. Future regulation of this aspect of building performance will significantly reduce carbon use, but hopefully it will be embraced by the marketplace on a voluntary basis recognizing that this aspect doesn't really add to construction costs. "It's more about using the right parts correctly rather than changing what we use, " Macey advises. The current plan for the SFE is to increase memberships and provide support to facade engineers in the region with proper training and qualifications. This will provide opportunity for clients to understand when they are speaking to accredited and competent facade engineers by recognition of the SFE accreditation letters after an individual's name. Macey hopes that many aspects of facade performance will eventually be regulated by law which stimulates the need for accredited professionals in the region. Chris Macey, also the group managing director for the Wintech Group will chair Facade Design and Engineering 2010, taking place from 7-10 February 2010, the region's second annual conference for the design and sustainable construction of cost-effective, iconic facades. The summit is sponsored by Ramboll, WindTech, ADTI Media, SynerMan International Holding Co Ltd, China Singyes Solar Technologies Holding Ltd, Profils Sytemes Gulf, Siderise Insulation Ltd, Reynaers Middle Eas, Lamatherm and Interna Middle East. Supporting partners for this event include Centre for Window and Cladding and Society of Facade Engineering. The event is supported by the Society of Facade Engineers, the centre for Window and Cladding and the Glass and Glazing Federation and will provide an essential platform for regional and global experts to discuss the major challenges facing the industry. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Construction News :: home page |