A delegation from The British University in Dubai (BUiD) has returned from a fact-finding mission where they met with representatives of one of Europe's pioneers in the field of sustainable design, The University of Cardiff. Major research projects examined at the meeting included new research on the use of innovative passive designs, advanced simulation techniques, renewable materials, waste management and environmental conservation. A total of 20 students from Dubai participated in the meeting, which provided an important opportunity to contrast environmental design research from Europe and the Middle East. Several students, all of whom are participating in the Sustainable Design of the Built Environment program at BUiD, presented findings from their own studies. “It was a welcome opportunity to share knowledge with peers working at The University of Cardiff. Obviously, climate conditions and design approaches differ in Europe and the Middle East, but there are techniques that are appropriate for both regions that can minimize the environmental impact of construction,” said Professor Bassam Abu-Hijleh, Atkins chair, head of the Sustainable Design of the Built Environment Program (SDBE) at BUiD and Fellow, Cardiff University (UK). “Cardiff's work in promoting best practice about sustainable development within the construction sector was of great interest for many of the BUiD students. At the same time, there was equal enthusiasm about the scale of the developments being undertaken in the UAE and the steps being taken to minimize their environmental cost,” he added. Students were provided with an overview of some of the major projects currently under development, along with detailed research on applied industry techniques. They were also given the opportunity to visit Cardiff's professional designed labs and extensive library in addition to receiving guidelines from some of the Cardiff academic staff in preparation to their up coming dissertation. “One of the primary aims of the visit was to evaluate the level of education between both universities and assess the standard and quality of progress made by students from both countries,” said professor Abu-Hijleh. The students also visited Greenwich University in London, where they attended presentations focused on different areas of sustainability. BUiD's Masters Degree in the Sustainable Design of the Built Environment of international standards - the first of its kind in the Middle East - has attracted significant attention from international bodies. __
