Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Services are a vital part of the infrastructural industry in Dubai. Traditionally, the MEP industry has been focused on compliance-based implementation in the design and executive processes. However, with the rising awareness about global climate change and the need for construction to adhere to the reduce-recycle-reuse policy, these services now need to follow the current trends of sustainability.
Sustainability has now become the most important part of any new project. The primary reasons for this are the need for environmental protection and optimum utilisation of resources to reduce wastage.
The Current Scenario for Sustainability in MEP Services
The basic idea of sustainability in MEP starts from maintaining an equilibrium through careful evaluation of material selection, initial costs, and energy consumption.
MEP Engineers across the world have come up with different ideas that focus on how sustainable processes and resources can be used to reduce impact of the construction industry on the environment. Proper selection of high-performance equipment and precise sizing of the construction site is the key in these processes.
Harnessing energy from simple methods such as daylight harvesting, geothermal heating, photovoltaic collectors and cooling systems. The overall design synthesis should be taken care of and should be following every possible discipline in order with minimizing the carbon footprint of the project.
Challenges for Sustainability in MEP Services
Sustainability in MEP services faces its own set of challenges. The biggest challenge it faces is the spread of awareness about the significance of sustainability in MEP services.
Another challenge the industry faces is the spread of knowledge of the cost-effective nature of these services in the long run. Thus, a detailed demonstration is necessary that will put up an idea of how the MEP services can be used in conjunction with sustainability.
The Way Ahead
Recently, the Big 5, Middle East’s largest construction exhibition, showcased how the MEP industry can gain competitive advantage by lowering the impact on the environment and optimally using resources to reduce the costs. It discussed the importance of the use of sustainable building design and electromechanical MEP in the construction sector.
The Big 5 construction exhibition put up the following areas that are anticipated to influence the global infrastructure industry in the future:
- Sustainability
- Project Management
- Design and Architecture
- Business and Market Intelligence
- Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities
- LEED and Retrofit (Engineering)
- Technology in Construction
One of the defining conclusions of the conference was that the use of environmentally-focused materials and products and processes can give you an upper hand in the current market.
MEP Engineers globally should undertake an agreement to use all sustainable goods and thus increase sustainability in the industry. This will guarantee a decent reduction in wastage in the Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing sectors as well assure a longer life of the services.
With this aim, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai in 2012 announced the launch of a long-term national initiative that would build a green economy in the UAE. The initiative was mainly based on usage of renewable resources, efficiency standards, green building codes ad hotels and inexhaustible energy plants like Passive Solar Building Design.
Endnote
The role of sustainability in MEP services is now greater than ever before, with all MEP consultants in Dubai endeavoring to design sustainable buildings and optimizing building performance. It is now time to take this effort to the next level by adopting a futuristic approach rather than limiting ourselves to compliances.