http://www.mepmiddleeast.com August 2019 | MEP Middle East 37Gold Silver Category Prize SponsorM E P M I D D L E E A S T A W A R D S
Music is nothing
without the notes in the
harmony aligning, and
a good system is like
good music
‘MUSIC TO MY EARS’
Expert judge at last year’s MEP Middle East Awards, Sarfraz H Dairkee,
explains how nominees can strike a chord with the judging panel
A
s secretar y to the Emirates Green
Building Council, Sarfraz H Dairkee
took an alternative approach when cri-
tiquing nominations in the most recent
instalment of the MEP Middle East Awards.
“I looked at things in a slightly different
way to the rest of the industr y,” he told MEP
Middle East.
“I was ver y much looking for solutions that
were customised instead of ready made.”
And his judging methods stand to reason;
his organisation carries a remit to advance
green building principles for protecting the
environment and ensuring sustainability in the
UAE.
Sarfraz himself has been passionately in-
volved with appropriate technology, energy
conser vation, and renewable energy systems
for more than 30 years, and was a recipient of
the ‘Legend in Energy’ award in 2010.
He is a LEED accredited professional, certi-
fi ed energy manager, certifi ed building com-
missioning professional, and a qualifi ed trainer
for pumping system optimisation. Attitudes
and demands relating to the sustainable builtenvironment have shifted in the MEP sector
over the years, making Sarfraz an ideal candi-
date to assess how nominees were incorporat-
ing fresh viewpoints into their operations.
“As judges we were able to arrive at a con-
sensus, but it is not always about the num-
bers and each judge put different values into
different systems,” he explained.
“Most of the time innovation is ver y rare –
solutions are in the nature of things.
“For example, I looked for how the preser-
vation of water was being addressed. You can’t
save something that cannot be consumed,
energy cannot be destroyed or consumed, so
how are companies achieving harmony in the
system?
“Music is nothing without the notes in the
harmony aligning, and a good system is like
good music.”
And it is only those who play the ver y best
tune who are in with a chance of taking home
a coveted gong in November.
“The MEP Middle East Awards are ver y
well organised and ver y well attended,” added
Sarfraz. “And, as I recollect, there were some
categories where it was not diffi cult to pick a
winner because of some outstanding entries.
“But I can also say that quite a few were
neck and neck, which was good for the com-
petition as well.”2018 Sustainable Project of the Year went to BuroHappold
Sarfraz H Dairkee hailed last year’s outstanding entries. Engineering for Louvre Abu Dhabi.
2018 Electrical Engineer of the Year Baskaran Ramanantham.