Polypipe Middle East partner with CIBSE for the launch of SoPHE UAE
Tuesday 21st March 2017
Following months of planning The Society of Public Health Engineers (SoPHE) UAE launch, the event was held at the Dubai World Trade Centre Club (DWTC) on Level 33 overlooking stunning views of Downtown Dubai on the 8th March 2017. The DWTC is an iconic building in the UAE which opened in 1979 and where the 39-storey Sheik Rashid Tower is featured on the 100 dirham bank note.
The DWTC, Dubai’s first skyscraper remains a pioneering symbol of international trade and is home to many leading international corporations including The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) UAE and proved to be an ideal location for the SoPHE UAE launch. SoPHE UAE was initiated in October 2016 by Andrew Russell (Hilson Moran), Simon Lewin (WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff) and Keith Perry (Polypipe Middle East) taking lead roles for SoPHE in the region. The partnership and collaboration between the three individuals and their organisations will be key to raising the standards of PHE design and profile of SoPHE in the region.
The evening started with addresses from CIBSE UAE Chairman Raef Hammoudeh of KEO IC who spoke about the status of CIBSE in the region and SoPHE Chair Steve Vaughan of AECOM who introduced the role of SoPHE as a society. Steve also provided an update on the growth of SoPHE since 2014 with nearly 900 members in 10 regions together with the training and educational initiatives being led by the society. The importance of the Young Engineers Group was also discussed and how the society are looking to develop the engineers of the future.
As expected the launch event was well attended mainly by non-members indicating great potential for the future of SoPHE in the UAE. The evening also focused on the benefits of joining CIBSE, Membership options and what SoPHE can offer in the region together with outlining future events within the region. High on the agenda for the new region is a UAE Technical Group to produce technical bulletins and training specifically tailored for UAE PHE design to improve the standard and consistency of PHE design across the region.
Polypipe Middle East gave a short presentation to show how they support the society in terms of training and education for public health engineers in the region. SoPHE would like to thank Polypipe Middle East for their continued support and sponsorship of the society together with their involvement and funding to make SoPHE UAE happen this year.