Kuwait Green Building Council and Volvo Cars host 'Green Talks' initiative | kuwaittimes

Featured speakers included from left to right Yassine Lafhail, General Manager at ENGIE Solutions, Ashraf Tamim, General manager at BNK Automotive and BNK Motion, Azizz K. Mamuuji, Deputy Managing Director at Gulf Consult, Eng. Khaled Al-Mashaan, Chairman of Kuwait Green Building Council, CEO and Vice Chairman of ALARGAN International Real Estate Company, Eng. Ravi Armoudjian, LEED Coordinator at Gulf Consult and Representative of the Chadirji Foundation for Architecture and Society in Kuwait, Hanin Hamdan, Senior Sustainability Associate at KEO, and Eng. Sandra Draskovic, General Manager at Kuwait Green Building Council.

Kuwait Green Building Council and Volvo Cars host 'Green Talks' initiative

By Kuwait Times

March 30, 2022 | 08:27 p.m EDT

KUWAIT: Kuwait Green Building Council in partnership with BNK Automotive and Volvo Cars hosted the 5th "Green Talks" at the Volvo Studio at the Khaleejiya square, with the theme of the talks being 'The role of existing buildings in Kuwait in the sustainability agenda". The 5th iteration of the "Green Talks" series took place on Monday, March 28, 2022 at the Volvo Studio at the Khaleejiya square.

The speakers included Eng Ravi Armoudjian, LEED Coordinator at Gulf Consult and Representor of the Chadirji Foundation for Architecture and Society in Kuwait, Hanin Hamdan, Senior Sustainability Associate at KEO International Consultants, Azizz K Mamuuji, Deputy Managing Director at Gulf Consult, Eng Sandra Draskovic, General Manager at the Kuwait Green Building Council, Yassine Lafhail, ENGIE Solutions, Kuwait, General Manager.

Eng. Sandra Draskovic and Eng. Ravi Armoudjian during 5th Green Talks.

Attendees included members of the Kuwait Green Building council, Volvo Cars management and thought leaders in the fields of architectural development, construction, academia, energy efficiency, renewable energy solutions, sustainable operations, and environmental sustainability. There is always an open debate going on about whether it is better for the climate to demolish an old energy-inefficient building and build a well-insulated high-performance replacement.

To achieve significant reduction in CO2 emission in Kuwait, Kuwait GBC stressed the importance of adaptive reuse of the existing buildings and the ways re-use and renovation can contribute to the continuity of the architectural tissue and sustainability in Kuwait. An adaptive reuse and deep retrofit can turn vacant or inefficient buildings into energy efficient and high-performance buildings while at the same time prolonging their life and reducing negative impact on the environment.

Khaled Al-Mashaan, Chairman of Kuwait Green Building Council, CEO and Vice Chairman of ALARGAN International Real Estate Company.

Also commenting on the occasion, Khaled Al-Mashaan CEO of ARGAN and Chairman of KGBC stated: "We were happy to partner with BNK Automotive and Volvo Cars for this edition of KGBC Green Talks as we believe it's important to raise awareness on CO2 emissions that comes from existing and new constructions. Discussions will take a broad perspective to this debate and cover diverse topics and case studies, including the cultural, social, economic, and environmental value of preserving and renovating modernist architecture in Kuwait, benefits of achieving energy efficiency for existing buildings and legislative framework and financial incentives to achieve all above. We look forward to more collaborations of this kind in the future."

Ashraf Tamim, General manager at BNK Automotive and BNK Motion

Today we are proud to welcome the Kuwait Green Building Council for their 5th Annual Green Talks. A part of our social responsibility efforts is to support sustainability and positive development initiatives and we look forward to today's discussions on existing buildings in Kuwait and their role on the sustainability agenda,' Ashraf Tamim, General Manager at BNK Automotive.

The Kuwait Green Building Council (Kuwait GBC) is a national, non-profit organization that is committed to developing a sustainable property sector for Kuwait by encouraging the adoption of green building practices. The Kuwait GBC was formed as an initiative in 2009 with organizations and businesses from different industries in Kuwait, and legally established as a company in 2017. It is uniquely supported by both private and public sectors in Kuwait, united in one common goal to provide leadership and to advance green building principles for protecting the environment and ensuring sustainability.

The full house at the Volvo Studio during the 5th Green Talks organized by Kuwait Green Building Council

"Green Talks" is a seminar style event specifically geared towards environmental awareness, green building practices, sustainability, and resilience, with all-round well-being in mind. This event aims to engage Kuwait community with the green building trends, economic, environmental, and social sustainability, and importance of being environmentally conscious.

March 30, 2022 08:27 PM

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