- Sustainable design is now an industry imperative, says award-winning architect Baharash Bagherian
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: While climate change has been in the headlines lately and will be the focus of COP 28 in Dubai in November 2023, Cityscape Intelligence Talks – the powerful conference series of Cityscape, Dubai’s largest real estate hunting event – will hear from more industries adopting advanced technology And concerns call for climate resilience as well as sustainability and urban regeneration.
At Cityscape Intelligence Talks, November 21-23 at Dubai World Trade Centre, Bhami Muhamed Ilyas, Regional Practice Director, CCP Wind Engineering, USA, will call for a renewed focus on climate resilience while helping delegates harness the impact of wind on urban development and its buildings Impact.
“As buildings grow taller, with less traditional forms, and urban environments become denser, the effect of wind becomes a more important design consideration,” said Ilias. “Based on knowledge of wind patterns and comfort levels around a development, building and structural designers can improve and optimize building and structural systems to meet reliability goals while minimizing costs and maximizing user experience.”
Advanced technology is being rolled out across the Cityscape Intelligence Talks agenda, forecasting a wide range of aspects, including site inspections and transparency delivery.
Panelist Bilal Moti, Managing Director, Windmills Valuation Services, UAE, will join a panel discussion on how powerful data can improve real estate transparency.
“Gone are the days of manual repetitive work,” Moti explained. “It’s time to move away from the old manual practices and embrace process automation. Let’s transform manual processes and decision making into automated decision making – that’s AI. Examples where it can be used include credit lending, valuation and equity performance analysis. Technology and artificial intelligence will facilitate accuracy, efficiency, confidentiality and control.”
Shruti Jain, sales director at UK-based data analytics provider REIDIN, asserts that robust AI data is the answer to achieving transparency in the industry, which she says is critical to decarbonisation.
“Transparency facilitates foreign direct investment, and there is a direct correlation between the two,” she said, identifying Dubai as a potential regional leader. “Dubai is in the best position. It’s well-located, it’s a tax-free haven, and real estate here is reasonably priced compared to other markets like Hong Kong, Singapore, London or New York. It offers an attractive return on investment, plus the government Initiatives on green, investor and golden visa issues, it has facilitated more investment in the region. Despite inflation due to these initiatives and increased transparency, it will continue to grow.”
Meanwhile, as countries around the world grapple with recession forecasts, Augostino Sfeir, chief investment and strategy officer at Abu Dhabi-based property developer IMKAN, asserts that real estate remains a viable investment option.
“Especially in recessions, stocks are particularly volatile because they are vulnerable to economic crises and pandemics, while real estate, on the other hand, has a minimal impact that doesn’t show up until much later,” Sfeir said, while predicting Even in the face of global recession winds, the UAE will continue to grow.
“Given the UAE’s economic, political and legislative stability, in addition to ongoing government initiatives and increased infrastructure spending, the country’s real estate market is expected to continue to grow and remain one of the most attractive and safest investment options, ’ he asserted.
However, Sfeir acknowledges that the industry needs to work towards adopting sustainable practices and predicts government intervention will drive the issue forward.
“The biggest challenge today is the gap in the education of developers, contractors and consumers on the long-term benefits of investing in sustainable development. While development costs can be 7-10% higher than non-green development costs, this can affect the value of units sold overall price, but consumers will benefit from energy savings, water conservation, maintenance and waste reduction. In addition to quality of life, through improved air quality, this will reduce chronic disease and improve the health and well-being of those living in these communities,” he added.
“With the government expected to introduce new legislation to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the challenge for developers is to be proactive, incorporate sustainable solutions into their developments first, and find the most cost-effective options that can be delivered at the most reasonable cost. develop solutions that enable healthy living at a cost.”
Baharash Bagherian, CEO of the UAE’s award-winning architecture and design studio URB, said the industry would soon realize the need for the highest sustainability standards, defining it as a “necessity” for today and tomorrow.
“There will be a shift in how developers sell, from selling real estate assets to selling lifestyles. As a result, there will be an increase in prime communities offering a variety of desirable amenities, including a range of community facilities and green spaces,” he said. “We also predict that expertise in developing more sustainable communities is being planned around the world as countries race to achieve net zero. As a result, developers and investors will also be looking to make their Asset diversification to include sustainable real estate.”
Mohamed Shawky, co-founder and CEO of GIS Drones in Dubai, believes drones will be the future of facade inspections, building and utility cleaning.
“Traditional inspections require a lot of equipment, manpower and time to complete, and the results are still not accurate enough. With drones, all the shortcomings of traditional inspections can be eliminated and better value can be provided. High-rise buildings, solar panels and wind turbines The same is true for cleaning. Drone cleaning is replacing traditional methods and we will soon see it fully implemented,” Shawky said.
The line-up spans the entire real estate industry ecosystem, including presentations, case studies and panel discussions from local, regional and international industry leaders.
Cityscape Dubai commented: “At a time when the industry is undergoing massive changes brought about by technological advancements, increased regulation and shifting geopolitical investment, this is essential knowledge for all players serious about staying at the forefront of industry developments Forum.” Alexander Heuff, exhibition director at event organizer Informa Markets.
Cityscape Intelligence Talks is supported by Dubai Land Department, web sponsors IMKAN and Staycae.ae, knowledge sponsor Huspy, proptech sponsor Land Sterling and supporting partners REIDIN, Propertyfinder and Houza.com.