World-renowned sustainability expert to address Ajman International Environment Conference 2016

Organisers of the Ajman International Environment Conference (AIEC) 2016 have announced that one of the world's leading experts on ecologically sustainable design, Professor Steffen Lehmann, will be a keynote speaker at this year's event from March 2nd – 3rd at the Sheikh Zayed Center for Conferences and Exhibitions, Ajman University of Science and Technology.

Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ajman, AIEC 2016 has become an internationally recognised platform for raising awareness about how communities and businesses can implement innovative green practices, towards the realisation of a sustainable future.

At the invitation of the organisers and the Municipality and Planning Department, Ajman, architect and urbanist, Professor Steffen Lehmann, is expected to submit some of his latest research and share case studies of his most recent projects. Lehmann has successfully designed more than 80 projects and built more than 25 as a lead designer.

Currently Head of School and Professor of Architecture at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, Lehmann has a long history of impressive contributions in the field of sustainable design and “green” innovation. He is also the Founding Director of the s_Lab Space Laboratory for Architectural Research and Design (in Sydney and Berlin), which was established in 1993.

Over the course of the last 20 years, he has led many efforts in “sustainable architecture” research, including authoring 12 published books on the subject and – from 2006 to 2014 – serving as Editor-in-Chief of the publication: Journal of Green Building. Lehmann has also given around 500 public and peer-to-peer presentations in over 35 countries.

Having regularly overseen projects with a construction budget of over USD250 million, Lehmann, commenting at the launch of his most recent project in Beijing, China, said:

“It is important to recognise that sound environmental strategies are consistent with good architectural design. I believe that by incorporating ecologically sustainable principles into the design and construction of cities and buildings, living and working conditions can also be improved.”

“It is the belief of myself and many others working in this field that ecologically suitable principles will bring great innovation and change to the cities of the future,” added Lehmann.

Prior to his current post at Curtin University, Lehmann was Professor of Sustainable Design and Executive Director of the Zero Waste Research Centre for Sustainable Design and Behaviour, at the University of South Australia. In addition, from 2008 to 2010, Lehmann held the UNESCO Chair for Sustainable Urban Development, helping to identify and highlight the relevance of green solutions in urban architecture.

One of the key aims of AIEC 2016 is to shift the narrative on sustainability practices so that they are viewed as a value-adding framework, in both technology and commercial spheres. To this end, scientists, experts and decision makers have been invited to speak on topics pertaining to some of the latest innovations currently being explored. Particular focus on customising green practices to the environments of Ajman, the UAE, and the wider Middle East region, will be one of the main topics on the conference agenda.

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