BIG5 Global: Five BIG Conclusions
Metadecor International participated in BIG 5 Global which was held in Dubai in the last week of November 2024. The Benelux Pavilion was located in Hall 8 of this main event for the construction industry in the UAE. Four days of talking about (new) building projects, façades and building technology: it gave a lot of food for thought.
The Halls of World Trade Center in Dubai were somewhat of a unique ‘ecosystem’ during BIG5 Global, with the temperature inside just above 20 degrees Celsius and no natural daylight. Meanwhile, temperatures outside reached beyond 30 degrees with a cheerful sun above the fairgrounds until just before closing time. Stepping inside at daybreak, leaving the building in the growing dark: it is the direct lead to Big Conclusion number 1 of 5 that we assembled at the end of the week.
Air conditioning is unavoidable in climates like in Dubai, but less AC is always better and healthier. With the predicted global warming, the use of air conditioning will increase in Europe too. How to accomplish less air conditioning? By creating more shade! Keep that sun (and the direct heat) away from the glass, away from the insulated envelope. With a double façade, a 'second skin' of (perforated) metal, for example, significant reductions in AC are within reach;
Passive shading is gaining ground in popularity. Yes, you read that correctly. Popularity. Not necessity. It is comfortable to reside and live in a selfshading building. See conclusion number 1. In the Middle-East, external (passive/dynamic) shading is not required or regulated (nor is it in Europe), but the awareness that the comfort and energy-efficiency can benefit from passive shading is growing rapidly;
Ornamentation implicates identity. Patterns make buildings and history recognizable. That is a given in Middle Eastern architecture. But this actually applies to all architecture and in all countries. At the fair in Dubai, people's eyes widened when they saw Het Plantsoen in Leiden and Theater Zuidplein in Rotterdam. Beautiful, contemporary patterns to cherish – forever. Sustainability in architecture – in its purest form;
Plantsoen in Leiden
Theatre Zuidplein in Rotterdam
A façade company as a 'one stop shop' for the entire process : from co-creation to engineering, project management, production, preassembly, transport and installation - it is a concept that makes Metadecor fairly unique. With our approach we want to help you: it starts with the support of the design team by our engineers, open communication with the client and cooperation on the construction site - with local partners or our own team(s). It is - for us - a good business model, that results in high quality solutions;
A (very) long lifespan for all parts of a building, including the façade, is climbing on the agenda. PDEs and LCAs are becoming increasingly important in the Middle East. For example: we work with partners who can provide increasingly higher guarantees on surface treatment for aluminium. “I want a 100-year guarantee for your façades,” said one developer from Sharjah. We can't give him that yet, but it sounds like a good ambition for the future.
