The Chairman of the Society of Engineers

Ladies & Gentlemen

At the start, I’d like to present to you the regards of His Highness Sheikh / Hamdan Bin Rashid Al–Maktoum, Deputy ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance & Industry, Chairman of Dubai Municipality .It is my pleasure to open, on behalf of his highness, this Conference on The Art of Sustainable Cities in the Middle East, and to take this opportunity to welcome all the participants and everybody with us today.
Also, I’d like, on behalf of his highness, to thank all architects in the United Arab Emirates, as well as private companies, which sponsored this conference.

Ladies & Gentlemen, The United Arab Emirates, under the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh / Zayed Bin Sultan Al – Nahyan, UAE president, and His Highness/Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al – Maktoum UAE vice president, prime minister, ruler of Dubai, places human being as its top priority and consider man the basis of its development policy. Therefore, absolute priority is given to whatever contributes to raising the level of housing and living conditions and development of community in the UAE.

Your conference endeavors to establish harmony between sustainability and the architectural art. Actually this symbolizes our deep belief here in the UAE that architectural art is also a matter of adaptability of the construction with the surrounding, be it environment, weather, tradition and social life in this region.
It is noteworthy, however, that in the city of Dubai we strive towards drawing the balance between art and sustainability without ignoring our traditional heritage, as you may come across modern, high rising buildings, standing near traditional rehabilitated ones.

Finally, I’d like to express my pleasure with the presence of such an excellent elite of architects. I wish that your conference would have positive outcomes towards
enhancing the art of sustainability. Also I wish you a good stay in the city of Dubai

Good Luck