In conversation with Ruth Carter, CEO of CIBSE (the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers)

From CIBSE’s perspective, what are the key enablers that can accelerate the transition to net-zero buildings in the Middle East construction sector?

The transition to net-zero buildings in the Middle East will depend on three fundamental enablers: clear policy frameworks, skilled professionals and cross-sector collaboration.

Firstly, robust policy frameworks and standards are essential. The region has seen strong policy direction from governments, but translating those ambitions into measurable outcomes requires technically sound pathways. This includes harmonising regional regulations with best practice standards and creating clear methodologies for measuring carbon and performance.

Secondly, there must be a sustained focus on skills and knowledge development. Engineers and designers need access to up-to-date training, tools and guidance that enable them to design, deliver and operate buildings that genuinely perform as intended. This is an area where CIBSE plays an active role, supporting professionals worldwide with standards, training and technical knowledge that help bridge the gap between ambition and implementation.

Finally, collaboration is key. The challenges of decarbonising the built environment cannot be addressed in isolation. It requires engineers, developers, clients and policymakers to work together to integrate sustainability from the outset of every project. Underpinning all of those must be a pathological refusal to fail in this transition.  At every opportunity, there is a chance to pull back from the objective of net zero: funding, timeframe, shifting priorities.  But the reality is that a practical, actionable focus on achieving net zero cannot wait any longer.

How is CIBSE helping to bridge the gap between ambitious sustainability targets and on-the-ground implementation, particularly through standards, guidance and innovative building technologies?

CIBSE’s role is to bridge the gap between policy ambition and technical delivery. We do this by developing and sharing knowledge, standards and tools that help professionals turn sustainability targets into practical, measurable action.

For example, CIBSE is a co-lead in developing the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (UKNZCBS), which sets out a rigorous, evidence-based framework for achieving net zero in both new and existing buildings. The principles and learning from that work are now being shared internationally, including across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

We also provide regionally adapted guidance – for instance, our mechanical, electrical and plumbing-embodied carbon calculation methodology TM65 has been adapted for the UAE to reflect local data and market practices. This ensures that sustainability measurement tools are relevant and useful to professionals on the ground.

Beyond guidance, our focus on innovation and knowledge exchange – through events, training and partnerships – ensures that engineers have access to the latest thinking in technologies such as low-carbon cooling and smart systems, all vital to achieving real-world impact.

CIBSE’s recent event on net zero in Dubai highlighted the importance of cross-sector collaboration. How can closer cooperation between engineers, developers and policymakers in the region help overcome barriers to sustainable construction?

Collaboration is absolutely central to how CIBSE operates and it’s vital for delivering sustainable construction at scale. The complexity of decarbonising the built environment means that success depends on collective problem-solving, not isolated initiatives. 

Closer cooperation between engineers, developers and policymakers helps ensure that policy ambition is underpinned by technical reality. Engineers bring the practical insight into what can be achieved on site; developers bring investment and delivery capability; and policymakers provide the frameworks that can drive change across the market. When these groups work in alignment, we can accelerate innovation, standardise best practice and remove some of the fragmentation that often slows progress.

Our role at CIBSE is to bring people together, facilitate shared learning and ensure that technical expertise informs decision-making. The discussions at our recent Dubai event demonstrated just how powerful this approach can be when stakeholders from across the region commit to a shared vision for net zero.

The UKNZCBS exemplifies CIBSE’s role as a trusted broker of industry collaboration, bringing together leading professional bodies and experts to define a common approach to net zero. Through this initiative, CIBSE helps align the built environment sector around shared, evidence-based standards that support credible and measurable climate action.

As the region invests heavily in green infrastructure, how can the construction industry ensure its workforce is equipped with the right skills and knowledge to deliver net-zero projects?

The transition to net zero is as much a skills challenge as it is a technical one. Delivering high-performance buildings requires a workforce that understands the principles of low-carbon design, energy modelling, commissioning and operational performance.

CIBSE is deeply committed to supporting this through lifelong learning and professional development. Our guidance and training programmes are designed to equip professionals at every stage of their careers with the knowledge they need to deliver sustainable outcomes.

A key initiative in this regard is our new Skills Hub in London, which forms part of our Building for the Future fundraising campaign. The Hub will be a global centre for learning and innovation, providing access to state-of-the-art facilities and training resources that support engineers from all over the world, including the Mena region.

We see it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help shape the future of building services engineering, creating opportunities for upskilling, knowledge exchange and international collaboration that will directly benefit the workforce needed to deliver net-zero projects across the Middle East.

With your international experience and CIBSE’s global reach, what lessons from other markets can be applied to help the Middle East lead in sustainable design and building performance?

One of the great advantages of CIBSE’s global reach is our ability to share lessons and best practice across markets, while recognising that every region must adapt these to its own context.

The Middle East is already demonstrating real leadership in sustainable design, particularly in the speed and ambition of government-led net-zero strategies. What will help the region move even further ahead is embedding those ambitions into consistent technical practice, underpinned by training, guidance and standards that ensure every project contributes to long-term performance goals.

CIBSE’s mission is to support that journey by combining global expertise with local insight, and by working in partnership with governments, academia and industry across Mena to help make the region a world leader in sustainable building performance.

A good example of this approach is the CIBSE TM65 UAE adaptation, which tailors CIBSE’s embodied carbon methodology to regional materials, data and practices, ensuring that global standards are locally relevant and effectively drive progress towards net zero across the region.

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