| Interview with Are We Going Green |
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| Today's key topic is sustainability and how green practices have started finding their way into real projects in Lebanon. The following same set of questions was asked to Massaad Fares, GM of Prime Consult; Karim Abillama, Managing Director of Mitsulift & Equipment; Philippe Skaff, President of the Green Party in Lebanon; and the architect Charles Hadife. A selection of questions and answers is below. For complete interviews, pick up REAL Magazine's May/June issue. |
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Massaad Fares, GM of Prime Consult
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| Massaad Fares is the founder and GM of Prime Consult Asset Management Company, which undertakes all aspects of real estate investments beginning with a green field site all the way to real estate portfolio management. Fares is a professional in real estate who brings his 30 years of international experience into the foreground. |
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#1 Protection of environment has become an issue in Lebanon. How do you address this issue?
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| Antonios Projects tackles environmental issues very seriously. Sustainability in buildings covers a wide array of subjects that concern all stakeholders: building owners and end-users, the neighborhood and the city. The Sama Beirut project was envisioned with these guidelines in mind. The concept of a high-rise tower came from the idea of giving a living and breathing space around the project. Instead of having several buildings erected on the land, logging the space and reducing the green areas, Antonios Projects opted for a tower surrounded by lush gardens. Indeed, only 20% of the land will be built, thus maximizing the usage of green spaces. Sama Beirut was designed and will be built with the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification in mind. The aim is to harmoniously blend the modern tower with its environment, providing the building residents and tenants efficient energy-saving components, and reducing greenhouse gases emissions to the surroundings. At Sama Beirut we will use smokeless generators, implement water treatment, and re-usage measures and techniques and use the façade as an energy source through solar power. When combined with the gardens, these measures will definitely contribute in lowering the greenhouse gas emissions for the long term. |
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Karim Abillama, Managing Director of Mitsulift & Equipment
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| Karim Abillama took on the responsibilities of Managing Director at Mitsulift Group in 1993, following three years of similar professional experience in Paris, France. Abillama led Mitsulift Group into its landmark joint venture with Mitsubishi Electric – Japan in 2000. He also plays an instrumental role in Mitsulift Group's sustained regional growth. |
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#2 What are the economic and environmental benefits of adopting sustainability measures?
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Treating the environment as an externality can generate short-term profits at the expense of sustainability. Going green is a cost saving in the long run because it is sustainable. The financial advantages are longterm, because green actions lead to smarter consumption of resources.
If we take the example of a green elevator versus a conventional elevator, we can say that on average, a green elevator is 8 to 10% more expensive than a conventional lift. But it is important to note that the depreciation is about 3 to 5 years. Therefore, in the long run, buying a green elevator has more economical and ecological benefits than buying a conventional elevator. The economic and environmental benefits of sustainability generate savings through the application of energy efficiency, renewable energy, solid waste reduction, re-use, recycling and other sustainability measures. On the other hand, the expansion of sustainable business opportunities can contribute to job creation. |
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Philippe Skaff, President of the Green Party in Lebanon
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| Philippe Skaff is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Grey Worldwide Middle East and North Africa, a communication network he founded in the late 1980s. A passionate environmentalist, Skaff was elected President of The Green Party of Lebanon in August 2008. |
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#3 Do you think the government should set a legislation obliging all new buildings, especially in Beirut, to meet defined environmental and sustainability standards?
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| Before the government starts dealing with the regulatory green framework in the construction fields, it should stop the massive urban degradation of our cities and villages. You know that inside every citizen of any country in the world there is a mythological image of his or her country that lingers in the mind. The American has this notion of how vast and rich his country is. The French about their Terroir. The Greeks about their sunny islands, etc. We Lebanese always think about our villages because despite the fact that 70 percent of us live in Greater Beirut we are all villagers if not by birth at least by belonging. We still think of our country as beautiful, green luscious, and sweet. The reality is otherwise. I published the book Juomhouryat al Baton (the concrete republic) to sound the alarm and wake us up from our mythological mind set. The fact is that we have built everywhere: on our hills, on our river beds, on our beaches, in a chaotic and savage manner, with no respect for all the basic social and natural laws that govern sound urban developments. We have no green spaces; we live on top of each other, in polluted and grey prison-like structures. The problem is apocalyptic and irreversible. We need to revise all the laws pertaining to the development of our cities and villages. If that happens, yes we will include green norms. But first things first: let us declare war over ignorance and corruption. We cannot sustain our urban environment the way it is developing now. |
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# 4 Do you believe a national reforestation plan has become imminent?
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| The Green Party has been pushing for this plan since it started a year and a half ago. We have asked AFDC for a study that would raise the percentage of the forests in Lebanon from its current 12 percent (down from 33 percent on Independence Day). This plan has been completed and adopted by the precious Seniora government. The current Hariri government is also backing it up. Mohammed Rahal, the Environment Minister is also very keen on going ahead with it. We will follow this basic and crucial issue very closely. In fact, by consulting our site, you can realize that it is among our top four priorities as a party. |
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Charles Hadife, Architect
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| Architect Charles Hadife is the founder and GM of Charles Hadife Architects, an architecture firm devoted to “the beautiful and the efficient”. Charles Hadife believes that architecture is driven by the aspiration to create a new dynamic for living. According to him, a constructed space is not merely an area to reside but a place that evokes sensations that seem like they could last forever. |
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# 5 How do you assess your contribution for protecting the environment in Lebanon?
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| It’s very symbolic in proportion to the scale of disaster. |
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