JEDDAH: The global market for green building material is expected to be worth $406 billion by 2015, driven largely by environmental consciousness, high energy costs, and the understanding that green buildings contribute to long-term benefits such as improved efficiency, cost savings and higher production. As costs of green building materials drop, they are becoming increasingly popular the world over, a recent research revealed. Governments around the region are enacting legislation to bring the industry into line with green building standards. Recently, Abu Dhabi rolled out the Arab world's first specialized green building rating system, Estidama. All new development in the emirate must comply with the standards set by the system, including commercial and government projects. Dubai too has been driving change through increasing implementation of LEED standards across the construction industry. A growing demand for green building material has been noted in the regional real estate industry. This is driven by the increasing stress on implementation of green building standards by local governments and civil authorities. Concern about the impact the construction industry has on the local environment and a realization of the need for sustainable development has fuelled a drive to align the construction industry to green building standards. This perceptible shift in the construction industry is to be reflected at Hardware+Tools Middle East 2011 – the only dedicated trade event for the hardware, tools, machinery and construction material in the Middle East – that will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre on May 10-12. "The push to conform with global best practices in sustainable real estate development is gathering pace in the Middle East," said Ahmed Pauwels, Chief Executive Officer of organizer Epoc Messe Frankfurt. "As construction majors look to decrease their carbon footprint and adopt environmentally-friendly building methods, the demand for green building material is quickly gathering pace," he added. Green roofs is one of the largest and fastest emerging product categories currently. The practice of planted green roofs is gaining momentum across the industry and is given a strong push by local authorities who are spear heading initiatives to increase the number of green roof projects in the region. This trend toward green roofs will be reflected at Garden+Landscaping Middle East, co-located with Hardware+Tools Middle East due to shared synergies in visitor profiles. The events will bring together buyers, suppliers, manufacturers and key purchase influencers in the construction industry from around the region. The following are some of the major sections covered at the trade exhibition: machinery, tools, construction & building materials and hardware.
