Dubai: Dubai is participating in the Reinventing Cities Challenge for Renovating Urban Projects, organized by the C40 Network of Leading Cities for Climate Change, with the aim of renovating and transforming a number of existing sites in cities into sustainable areas and projects. The location chosen by the Emirate of Dubai for this competition is the Umm Suqeim office of Dubai Municipality in Jumeirah. It will allow residents the possibility to enjoy the views and facilities in line with global sustainability standards.
His Excellency Abdullah Al Basti, Secretary General of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai and Vice Chairman of the Steering Committee of the C40 Cities Network for South and West Asia , said: “Establishing the concepts of sustainability is one of the goals set by the Dubai Vision 2021, embodying the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Council His Excellency aimed at achieving sustainable growth for the emirate and create a brighter future for the coming generations.”
Al Basti stressed the commitment of Dubai to intensify efforts to address the phenomenon of climate change, which was strengthened by the emirate with its membership in the 40 Leading Cities Network for Climate Change (C40) years ago, and a number of supporting strategies such as the strategy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the strategy to adapt to climate change and improve air quality.
He noted that Dubai’s participation in this challenge reflects the inspiring role that it plays in leading sustainable growth efforts to reduce the effects of climate change on the quality of life, as part of its vision to create a smart and integrated city that provides a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
Al Basti said: “Dubai is steadily moving towards consolidating its position as a global center in various fields, and this challenge comes today, which promotes cooperation and partnership between the government and private sectors, and provides opportunities for investors to develop innovative icons for the renovation of buildings, give their creative imprint and highlight Dubai’s global position that connects different cultures in light of the desired environmental sustainability standards.”
Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said: “Dubai Municipality always seeks to enhance the emirate’s position by applying the highest standards of competitiveness in various fields, especially in the field of sustainability, based on the government’s rational vision in terms of anticipating the future for the next decade of innovative competitiveness, and we build on what we have accomplished in the past years. We are participating in the international C40 Cities competition aimed at stimulating cities to adopt sustainable buildings. The participation of Dubai will be through the Municipality’s Umm Suqeim office, which was put up for development in order to choose the best design from the applicants, with the aim of converting the office into an iconic building in which all sustainability standards are applied.”
He added: “The Municipality is keen to foresee a future in which sustainable and green buildings are its most important features. Our sound planning always comes by drawing inspiration from our wise leadership and its continuous support for implementing green building standards, which are at the forefront of the priorities that the Municipality is committed to, and it is positively reflected on the quality of life in the community and the happiness of its members.”
Sustainable buildings are among the solutions that contribute to reducing the negative impact of the most prominent climate challenges such as climate change and global warming, as these challenges require a unified global response at all levels to overcome them and reduce emissions that harm the environment, as well as to monitor opportunities that would enhance the quality of community life and search ways to reduce the carbon footprint to reach a more efficient infrastructure. This requires cities, entities and various establishments to cooperate in preparing new models for development, construction and services in accordance with environmental and sustainable foundations.
The competition aims to enhance the role of various cities in the world in supporting efforts aimed at renovating buildings and innovative and sustainable urban projects free of carbon, and to set new standards for integrated development that include reducing carbon emissions, and applying sustainability standards in various projects and architectural activities.
Through participating in the competition, Dubai Municipality is looking forward to strengthening the emirate’s role in supporting global efforts aimed at reaching the ideal and effective mechanism to limit the impact of climate change, organize the process of rebuilding cities, and achieve the competition’s goals of stimulating sustainable development and monitoring innovative solutions to environmental and urban challenges.
Competition information and details:
Designers can submit their designs offers to the Umm Suqeim office of Dubai Municipality through the challenge website:
The required criteria include: creatively renewing the building with a unique design, the ability to provide various services through it in innovative and sustainable ways, in addition to seeking to completely reduce carbon emissions to 0%, as well as activating the role of various community activities and services for various groups of society such as People of Determination and senior citizens, and using the building as a library or museum and not a hotel.
The submission period for the Challenge extends to 31st December 2020, with the best design to be announced at the end of 2021.
