Lyna Mohamad
The Green Construction Dialogue 2023 discussed the solutions to decarbonise the construction industry, through greener building materials, with low-carbon cement as one of the main components, said Butra HeidelbergCement (BHC) Managing Director Marcelino Ugarte.
He also stressed on the importance of promoting awareness, through knowledge sharing and joint discussions, allowing industry players in the public and private sectors to understand how to incorporate these into their practices, and also the urgency for everyone to act and to establish a sustainable future.
Ugarte also applauded Thailand’s achievements as one of the first ASEAN nations to transition to 100 per cent law carbon cement and concrete in its domestic industry.
He is hopeful that the Sultanate will be able to follow in its footsteps in the decarbonisation efforts.
He made these comments during a dialogue with Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) as the official event partner at the Indera Kayangan Ballroom of The Empire Brunei.
Member of BHC Board of Directors Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Haji Ja’afar ibni Al-Marhum Pengiran Pemancha Pengiran Anak Haji Mohamed Alam was the guest of honour at the morning session.
The dialogue’s objective was to further the understanding of the sustainability agenda in the domestic construction industry.
The event, officiated by Ugarte, provided a discussion on how to promote sustainable practices by developing low-carbon cement and incorporating other sustainable building materials in the built environment.
The morning session covered an open and constructive exchange on policy efforts to allow the construction industry to transition towards a net-zero carbon industry with speakers for this session led by representatives from the Thailand chapter of the ASEAN Federation of Cement Manufacturers (AFCM) of the Thailand Cement Manufacturers Association (TCMA).
Official AFCM representative and the Chairman of TCMA Dr Chana Poome spoke on ‘Thailand Cement Climate Actions and Collaborations on Net Zero 2050’, followed by Chair Working Group of the Environmental Division of TCMA Sukthawat Patawarakorn, presenting on how to achieve net zero.
Meanwhile, Chair Working Group of the Sustainability Division of TCMA Dr Wonchalerm Chalodhorn ended the policy section with a presentation on ‘2024: Thailand’s New Era of Low Carbon Cement’.
The event proceeded with a discussion with the panel of speakers with questions from the official moderators representing UTB Dr Khairunnisa Nabilah binti Haji Ruslan and Dr Shahriar Shams of the Faculty of Engineering and the audience.
The session was conducted both on-site at the Indera Kayangan Ballroom and virtually through the YouTube livestream to promote the expansion of sustainability awareness by incorporating a digital platform.
A technical symposium in the afternoon discussed the development and incorporation of sustainable building materials in the industry with two speakers from Singapore and one representative from the Sultanate.
The opening speaker was Technical Director of HeidelbergMaterials in Brunei and Bangladesh and Head of Heidelberg Technical Centre (HTC) of HeidelbergMaterials Terence Ong, who spoke on ‘The Development and Production of Low Carbon Cement’.
It proceeded with a presentation by President of American Concrete Institute (Singapore Chapter) and Managing Director of Hitchins International Pte Ltd Lu Jin Ping, on ‘Use of Sustainable Materials in Cement and Concrete’.
Representing Brunei was Senior Associate and Architect of Arkitek Idris and official representative of the Green Building Council Brunei Ar Zul’Amali bin Dato’ Paduka Haji Idris, who spoke on ‘The Importance of Making Building Materials Greener in Creating a Sustainable Built Environment’.
Dato Seri Laila Jasa Haji Ahmad bin Dato Matnor was present in the morning session.
Meanwhile, UTB Vice-Chancellor Datin Paduka Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman attended the afternoon session as the guest of honour and signed a memorandum of understanding with BHC on behalf of the university. UTB representatives Pengiran Dr Haji Saiful Baharin bin Pengiran Duraman, and Dr Zulkefle Ismail of the School of Design moderated the afternoon session.
