EU-funded group provides support on building code
A French environmental organisation is helping the island review its building code to make homes and businesses energy efficient and more resistant to extreme weather.
Members of the Green Overseas programme, which is funded by the European Union, were on island last week for a series of meetings with businesses and the Government.
A spokesman said: “The GO team travelled to Bermuda to meet key players in the field of energy transition and climate change.
“We had extensive discussions with members of The Ministry of Home Affairs, including the Deputy Premier and minister of home affairs Walter Roban, the Permanent Secretary Rozy Azhar and the senior policy analyst David Northcott, as well as the directors of the Departments of Planning and Energy, Victoria Cordeiro and Jeane Nikolai respectively, and their teams.”
The team also met with representatives from the departments of health and public works as well as the fire and rescue service and organisations including the Institute of Bermuda Architects; the Professional Engineers Registration Council; the Chamber of Commerce; the Construction Association of Bermuda; Belco; the Regulatory Authority; and the Bermuda Society of Interior Designers.
The Green Overseas Programme is funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France, a French international technical co-operation agency, with a status of public institution under the joint supervision of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the French Ministries for the Economy, Finance and Recovery.
The programme started on August 7, 2020, and its expected duration is 68 months. Its budget is €17.8 million.
Although it is funded entirely by the EU, the UK Overseas Countries and Territories are among the beneficiaries because, at the time the project was signed, the UK had not yet effectively left the EU.
The GO Programme’s projects and action are based on two operational methods.
The ‘GO Facility’: each beneficiary country or territory is invited to submit requests for specific activities at the national/territorial level within a predetermined maximum financial range.
The ‘GO communities’: a community of several sets of activities at the regional and interregional level involving all beneficiary countries and territories or groups of beneficiary countries and territories.
“At the request of the Bermuda Government, the GO programme will be supporting the update of the current building code, both for commercial and for residential buildings, by strengthening the aspects linked to climate change, in particular the energy efficiency of buildings and resistance to extreme weather events.
“These meetings were therefore used to consult the stakeholders in this project and to present the methodology. In 2024, a group of experts will be tasked with supporting the Department of Planning in overhauling Bermuda's building code, in collaboration with all relevant parties.”
While the GO team was in Bermuda they visited Trunk Island.
The spokesman said: “The visit organised by the Bermuda Zoological Society in collaboration with the Bermuda Aquarium, provided a brilliant illustration of the environmental issues and the actions taken in the area by dedicated and passionate teams.”
He added: “The GO team was briefed on environmental issues due to climate change, including heavy rains, sea level rise, exacerbated by the fact that the island is geologically slowly sinking, more frequent and more extreme hurricanes, and heavier downpours with longer periods of droughts in between.
“We would like to extend our warmest thanks to everyone we met for these constructive and fascinating discussions.”
• A copy of Bermuda’s building code can be found under related media.
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