Emirates Glass to highlight benefits of Solar Control Glass at First International Green Building Conference in the UAE

Arthur Millwood, Technical & Marketing Manager, Emirates Glass, will draw attention to an increasing desire amongst architects and property developers to use transparent glass types in order to achieve more internal natural daylight and better view from inside. However, this could lead to the discomfort of excessive heat and additional cooling costs. Mr. Millwood's technical paper will identify the benefits of using solar control glass which will have twin advantages - a) Good indoor comfort-levels with natural light and stable temperature and b) a sustainable indoor environment with optimized use of air-conditioning while greatly helping to reduce the burden on local power generators.

"The paper will suggest and recommend ways of striking a balance between liberal use of glass and the potential cost incurred in cooling the indoor environment," said Mr. Jerry Dowling, General Manager, Emirates Glass.

Emirates Glass is a Dubai Investment Group subsidiary and one of the leading quality glass manufacturers in the region, and is co-sponsoring the event along with a group of other high-profile private companies and Government Bodies including Dubai Municipality. Dr. Kath Williams, President, World Green Building Council (World-GBC), will give the keynote address in a plenary lecture on 'Green Buildings: Future in the UAE" at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry building.

Aimed at spreading awareness and disseminating valuable information on the importance of 'Green Building' principles, the two-day conference will have internationally renowned names addressing the gathering. They include Dr. Hashem Akbari, Group Leader, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA; Prof. Dr. Helmut Muller, Department of Environmental Architecture, Dortmund University, Germany; Professor S. B. Riffat, Chair in Sustainable Energy, Head of the Institute of Building Technology, Head of the Institute of Sustainable Energy Technology, School of the Built Environment, The University of Nottingham; and Dr. Kath Williams.

"The conference will offer an insight to all concerned within the building industry on the benefits of achieving sustainable design to minimize potential damage to the environment in the UAE and the region at large, caused by the on-going construction boom" said Mr. Jerry Dowling.

"In addition, the conference will act as a platform for exchanging and sharing new ideas, technologies and networking. It will also pave the way to providing healthier working, learning, and living environments for better quality buildings for the users and owners alike in the UAE. But above all, it will work towards the establishment of green rating guidelines of residential/commercial buildings in UAE in line with LEED Programme," said Mr. Jerry Dowling.

This conference is being organized by Dubai University College (DUC), the academic arm of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI), in collaboration with several international, regional and local institutions, government departments, universities, companies and research centers, and laboratories.

Being an international conference of environmental importance, it will also enjoy the support of the World Green Building Council (World-GBC), Australia, US Green Building Council (USGBC), World Renewable Energy Network (WREN), UK and ASHRAE-Emirates Falcon Chapter (EFC).

The conference targets industry decision makers, regulators, developers, and environmentalists, 'green building" promoters, consultants, engineers, architects, researchers, and educators as well as contractors representing both the public and private sectors alike.

Among the main topics to be covered in the conference include: Sustainable Sites, Energy in Buildings, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Water Efficiency. The themes would be Green Building Initiative/ LEED, sustainable & Energy efficient Buildings, Photovoltaic in Buildings, Recycled Materials, Indoor Air Quality in Commercial Buildings, Energy Management Systems, Efficient Glass in Buildings, Daylight and Lighting Design and Water Efficiency and Systems.

Emirates Glass already manufactures EmiCool, EmiCool Plus and EmiCool Sun which are high performance coated glass products that are used widely throughout the region and beyond. The EmiCool Comfort System is a large range of custom-designed solar and thermal control glass providing generous levels of daylight whilst giving superior control of heat gain or heat loss according to climate. The system offers a wide combination of sputtered coatings on various available glass substrates creating a large showcase of colours. These specialized custom-made products also offer acoustic insulation.