Ramallah/Al-Bireh – Environmentally-friendly buildings maximize economic and environmental performance by reducing waste, pollution and the overall impact of construction on the environment and human health. Recognizing these benefits, the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, under the Local Government and Infrastructure Program implemented by CHF International, is promoting green building techniques and approaches.
As part of this focus, USAID is supporting a technical workshop series aimed at bringing together construction practitioners, the academic sector, government leaders and the private sector to discuss key innovations in the green building field. The first workshop in this series – jointly organized by CHF International and Khatib & Alami - took place in Ramallah on October 18, 2011 and focused on adaptive re-use and rehabilitation of buildings as an environmentally friendly alternative to new construction. Adaptive re-use focuses on utilization of existing buildings in new ways, such as the adaptation of an old warehouse into residential housing.
Speakers at the workshop included Dr. Samar Nazer, Head of the Architectural Engineering Department at Birzeit University, Khaldun Bshara, Co-Director of Riwaq Center for Architectural Conservation, Wassim al-Azeh, Head of Sustainability for Khatib & Alami in the United Arab Emirates, and Dr. Rami Daher and Maiss Razem from Turath Architecture and Urban Design Consultants in Amman, Jordan.
The workshop was attended by His Excellency, Dr. Khalid Qawasmi, the Minister of Local Government and Michael T. Harvey, the USAID Mission Director and leaders in the construction field, including Engineer Ahmad Edaily, the Head of the Engineers Association – Jerusalem Center, and Engineer Adel Odeh, Head of the Palestinian Contractor’s Union.
For more information about this project please visit the CHF International website at www.chfinternational.org.
|
