10:44 am - October 15, 2026
Dubai Municipality has launched an Existing Buildings Greening Guide, giving owners, operators and investors a practical framework for green building retrofits that cut energy and water use and emissions.
Dubai Municipality has launched an Existing Buildings Greening Guide across the emirate on 16 September, giving building owners, operators, consultants and investors a practical roadmap for green building retrofits that improve environmental and operational performance. The civic body said the guide supports its wider objectives for sustainable urban development and a better quality of life across Dubai.
The guide sets out best practice for green building retrofits while balancing sustainability requirements with economic feasibility, and is designed to support more informed decisions on retrofit and improvement projects. It weighs both long-term environmental performance and the operational and investment value of the buildings involved, covering measures relevant to offices, residential towers and mixed-use developments across the emirate.
Cutting energy, water and running costs
The guidance focuses on improving resource efficiency by reducing energy and water consumption and limiting demand on natural resources, while supporting cuts to carbon emissions and operational waste. From an operational perspective, it sets out engineering solutions that can reduce operating and maintenance costs over the medium and long term and improve the efficiency of building systems throughout their lifecycle. It also addresses indoor environmental quality, aiming to improve occupant comfort and health alongside a building’s functional performance.
Maryam Obaid Al Muhairi, Chief Executive Officer of the Buildings Regulation and Permits Agency at Dubai Municipality, said the guide reflects the municipality’s continued efforts to regulate and develop the building and construction sector “through practical and forward-looking approaches that support Dubai’s sustainability objectives and improve resource efficiency.” She said it gives owners and operators “a practical framework to improve energy and water efficiency, reduce emissions and operating and maintenance costs, and enhance indoor environmental quality.”
Al Muhairi added that supporting the sustainable improvement of existing buildings strengthens “the performance and long-term value of real estate assets” while contributing to “a more efficient and sustainable built environment that enhances quality of life across Dubai.” The guide sits alongside Dubai Municipality’s wider framework of sustainability and green building guidance, giving consultants, engineers, owners and operators a clearer reference for applying approved standards accurately and effectively.
Building on an existing retrofit push
The new guide extends a retrofit drive Dubai Municipality has run since 2025, when it launched a retrofit programme covering more than 9,000 government buildings. Extending green building retrofits to privately owned stock through a published guide, rather than a government-only programme, gives consultants, contractors and building owners across the emirate a single reference for pricing and specifying upgrade work. That has implications for the wider UAE energy-efficiency and green-building-materials supply chain that serves Dubai’s retrofit market, and for investors weighing the long-term value of ageing commercial and residential assets. The guide is available on the Dubai Municipality website.
