Green building starts to catch on in Dubai

Construction activity has increased rapidly in Dubai over the past year and it is important that the city's builders take their environmental responsibilities seriously.Climate change is a major issue all around the world and new developments need to be designed in the most energy-efficient way possible.With so many new projects getting off the ground in the UAE, contractors are under pressure to show they are capable of working in a sustainable manner.A number of special "green structures" have already been drawn up, with the latest being a 105,000-sq-ft mosque.According to leaders of the Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF), the city's first environmentally-friendly mosque will be able to accommodate 3,500 worshippers at a time and the development is expected to be ready in March 2014.Secretary general Tayeb Al Rais laid the structure's first foundation stone earlier this week (February 25th) and he said the government has a clear target to encourage sustainable development throughout Dubai."The new eco-friendly mosque comes as part of our efforts to contribute to this vision," he remarked."Setting new standards for sustainable mosques in the UAE and the wider region, the mosque will conform to green standards for reducing energy, water and materials consumption."The authorities recently introduced new legislation that stressed that all new construction projects must meet certain green building standards.Another impressive building that has impeccable environmental credentials is the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority's new base in the Al Quoz neighbourhood.The Khaleej Times reports that the structure - which has simply been named Sustainable Building - is the largest government building in the world to receive a platinum rating from the LEED - the US Green Building Council institute.If nothing else, this shows the city is very serious about its role in reducing global warming and people looking for property investments in Dubai in the future can expect to find a huge array of hotels, residential buildings and commercial space that are very eco-friendly.Click here for your free property investment guide