More than 200 of Abu Dhabi's leading construction and engineering professionals gathered last night at the Emirates Palace to discuss how new building technologies can improve the safety of residents across the Emirate.
Well known consultants, architects, designers and developers from the construction industry attended the Supreme Building Technology 2011 to 2012 conference, which was organized by Dubai based GEZE Middle East to highlight innovative new building safety systems and technologies that can literally save lives.
These technologies include
1. Automatic window systems which can facilitate smoke and heat extraction and dissipation in a building in the event of a fire, allowing people in the building longer access to oxygen supplies and therefore give emergency services more time to help people to evacuate the building
2. Emergency exit systems for buildings which are designed to ensure the highest levels of public safety in the event of an evacuation
3. Panic lock' systems which are increasingly favored by organizations which need full control over access to sensitive building areas and by highly affluent individuals who want to ensure they have control over who has authorized access to their homes. These systems are web based and allow full remote access
The importance of building safety is growing on the national and regional agenda, as safety methodologies, systems and technologies need to be constantly updated and improved to meet the changes in the nature of potential accidents and risks.
Mr Charles Constantin MD of GEZE Middle East said that "As the Emirate of Abu Dhabi builds for its future local demand is growing for safe and sustainable new buildings. This demand is being led by the Government which recognizes the need for world-leading building quality. Safe buildings can help save lives. New technologies allow for complete control of a building, such as centralized control panels which can open windows and close doors remotely in the event of a fire, containing the flames and heat produced and slowing the spread of the resulting smoke, giving people inside more time to escape."
Mr Constantin said that "Safer buildings can also be more environmentally-friendly buildings, such as efficient modern ventilation systems which can help reduce the amount of air conditioning needed and thereby reduce power consumption. The majority of building technologies can now be automated such as lighting systems which can be automated to react to external light and switch themselves on when the natural light fades, or heating systems which can be programmed to ensure a constant indoors temperature to switch themselves on when the inside temperature drops. These systems require initial increased investment by the building owner but help to save on additional costs in the long-term, as well as the environmental benefits."
He said that a high number of affluent residents in the UAE own second, third or even fourth homes outside of the country which they may visit only a handful of times per year. New remote-control building systems allow building owners to oversee the status of their building's access points, mainly doors and windows, from anywhere in the world and make instant decisions about doors and windows they either want to close or open, for security or safety purposes.
