The Ministry of Infrastructure Development has adopted new standards for federal buildings and roads, at the state level, in order to reach international standards in the construction sectors. According to the new standards, achieving sustainability will be part of the contracts with the consultant and contractor, who carry out the projects of the ministry.
The Director of Sustainability and Technical Studies at the Ministry, Eng. Nusseibah Al Marzouqi, told Emirates Today that accreditation achieves sustainability in roads and buildings to be environmentally friendly and is less costly in operation and maintenance, adding that the new standards complement the achievements of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah. In the area of setting standards for sustainability of buildings and roads, up to the world level in construction, the United Nations target of achieving zero% of carbon emissions in 2030.
Al-Marzouqi said that the ministry has completed the standards in coordination with the local authorities concerned in each emirate, pointing out that the new sustainable standards will be applied to government buildings, such as schools, hospitals, health centers, and other federal projects.
She added that the sustainable standards of roads focus on the impact of materials used in the environment, and the efficiency of lighting systems and safety, and everything that would reduce energy consumption, and reduce emissions, especially reducing the carbon footprint, pointing out that this applies to roads and their facilities such as services, bridges, pedestrian sites and others. Al-Marzouqi said that the ministry plans to develop another guide for the sustainable operation and maintenance of roads and buildings, with the aim of extending the life of assets and reducing the environmental, social and economic impact, adding that the ministry will complete the preparation of the guide in 2020.
She pointed out that the Ministry has already started to apply the standards of sustainable buildings to a number of existing projects, and is working to apply the standards in two of the road projects that have begun implementation.
Al-Marzouqi said that the selection of the contractor and consultant to implement the projects of the ministry will require his ability to implement and adhere to the criteria of sustainability in construction, stressing that the ministry takes into account that the application of these standards does not affect the construction projects on market prices.