CARES at the heart of Middle East building certification improvements

The role of CARES in providing certification to companies working towards improved construction standards in the Middle East is extending fast in 2016. 

Several new initiatives are underway which reflect the enhanced environmental priorities sitting at the heart of long-term redevelopment schemes now taking shape, particularly in the United Arab Emirates. 

Driving the pace is the countdown towards Dubai Plan 2021 – which targets a smart and sustainable Dubai city – and which will see upcoming projects measured by the new Dubai green building evaluation system, Al Sa’fat. This evaluation system categorising a building’s green credentials aligns neatly with CARES Sustainable Constructional Steel (SCS) certification scheme, with each mandating a minimum performance level, in turn helping to achieve credits in green building rating systems such as ESTIDAMA, GSAS (Global Sustainability Assessment System), BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology) and as well as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). 

An opportunity to learn more about the increasingly important role CARES plays in the region will come at next month’s high profile ‘Big 5 Dubai’ Construction Exhibition, taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre (https://www.thebig5.ae/) .  Senior CARES officials will be playing an active part in this prestigious event, attended by some of the region’s most influential business leaders. CARES will be providing information on the full range of certification services available to all those with an interest in the constructional steel sector with information available throughout the four-day event, from November 21-24, at CARES stand number Zabeel B111.

 In Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, the focus on ensuring continuous improvement in the provision of infrastructure is monitored by the Emirate’s Quality and Conformity Council (QCC) which assesses product performance and sustainability across a range of sectors, including steel. Products must meet stringent quality and performance specifications set out by the QCC. CARES is pleased to confirm that the CARES product certification and SCS schemes are recognised in QCC-PCS-ASP024.01.