Light + Intelligent Building Middle East 2026 to unveil the regulations accelerating smart city development

Industry leaders will converge at the Smart Building Summit at Light + Intelligent Building Middle East to discuss the critical standards and policies driving the region’s built environment 

Over 130 international and regional experts will highlight the evolving global regulatory landscape and share best-practice insights

Light + Intelligent Building Middle East is set to welcome 16,000 industry professionals from 12-14 January at Dubai World Trade Centre

Dubai, UAE: Light + Intelligent Building Middle East 2026, MENA’s leading event for lighting and building technology, will examine the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape shaping the development of smart, sustainable buildings in the region.

As part of the event’s Smart Building Summit, industry leaders and policy experts will come together for a panel discussion on “Navigating the Global Regulatory Landscape: Standards, Policies & Incentives for Smart Buildings”. This session will explore how current regulations, certification schemes, and government incentives are driving smart building adoption in the region, while aligning with international best practices.

Speaking ahead of the event, Mohamed Ahmed Amer, Managing Director – MENA International Code Council (ICC) said: “Across the GCC, regulatory frameworks are evolving to keep pace with rapid digital transformation and the shift toward Construction 4.0. The region will continue to prioritise modern building codes that integrate safety, sustainability and smart building readiness.”

Amer added that the GCC’s alignment with internationally recognised models, including the International Building Code (IBC), International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and the International Green Construction Code (IgCC), positions the region among the most progressive global markets, integrating sustainability, digitalisation and innovative construction technologies.

Highlighting how smart performance is measured as well as the importance of international codes, Amer said: “A smart building demonstrates improved efficiency, better indoor quality, optimised energy use and stronger safety performance. An important layer of smartness is interoperability – the ability of these systems to communicate, integrate and function cohesively across platforms and disciplines. Buildings that successfully merge these technologies within a code-compliant framework show higher levels of operational intelligence, resilience and sustainability.”

Fellow panellist Irem Kurtuluş Korkmaz, Director, Urban Policy Center, Marmara Municipalities Union, Türkiye outlines how government-led initiatives and disaster-risk policies are accelerating smart building adoption in Türkiye, particularly following the 2023 earthquakes.

She said: “Both central and local governments are developing stronger policies supporting technologies such as seismic monitoring, structural health sensors, emergency communication systems and the digital tracking of building performance, accelerating the country’s long-running urban transformation initiatives.”

According to Kurtulus, the technologies that exert the strongest influence on regulations are those related to energy efficiency and safety, including smart metres, building automation systems, heat pumps and high-efficiency HVAC technologies.

A key knowledge platform at Light + Intelligent Building Middle East, the Smart Building Summit brings together policymakers, standards bodies, technology leaders and sustainability experts to examine how regulation and innovation are accelerating the adoption of intelligent, resilient and energy-efficient buildings across the region.

Commenting on the summit, Abdul Muhsin, Show Director for Light + Intelligent Building Middle East said: “The Smart Building Summit provides a platform for stakeholders to connect and discuss how policy and regulation can support sustainable growth across the built environment. In addition to codes and standards, the summit will explore a wide variety of topics, from sustainability and energy efficiency, to  innovation and smart building design, reflecting the key priorities of the industry.”

Light + Intelligent Building Middle East will be held from 12-14 January 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre. Co-located with Intersec, the event is expected to host leading international and regional exhibitors representing 600+ brands from 30+ countries and is set to welcome over 16,000 industry professionals.

Light + Intelligent Building Middle East will feature insights from 130 regional and international speakers across its flagship industry discussion platforms - the Smart Building Summit, THINKLIGHT and InSpotlight.