The Dubai Municipality's Buildings Department, through its initiative, "Dubai Baseline for Sustainable Concrete," has developed a new smart calculator to measure the environmental impact of the use of concrete in construction projects and compare it to the baseline that it has developed in advance.

The move is in line with the vision of the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to develop government work and enhance the UAE's competitiveness so that the Government of the UAE is among the most innovative governments in the world.

"In line with the principle, 'It is innovative ideas that make the difference in government work', Dubai Municipality seeks to nurture and support innovation to achieve its strategic direction towards improving the level of buildings, and to have continuous improvement and development, in line with the strategic objectives of the Government of Dubai and its efforts to transform Dubai into a happy and sustainable city," Layali Al Mulla, Director of Buildings Department, said.

She emphasised the department’s constant efforts to support innovation by knowing and developing the global best practices that suit the environment of Dubai and applying it to the construction sector within the Emirate.

Al Mulla added the initiative opens the way for creativity for those involved, allowing them to create new concrete mixtures and use alternative materials for cement to reduce the impact of mixtures on the environment.

Fida Al Hammadi, Head of Research and Building Systems Section in the Buildings Department at Dubai Municipality, said that the calculator will be available for use for the prefabricated concrete factories, consultants and contractors within a few weeks. "The user can enter the materials used and their ratios in the manufacture of concrete to determine the positive difference in the environmental impact, and the department will start receiving requests for this in conjunction with the launch of the calculator."