Bigger, better, greener

The Middle East has not traditionally been known for its focus on energy efficient or sustainable buildings, preferring instead to follow the adage that bigger is better. But that attitude is changing.

The demand for ‘greener’ buildings – and the materials need to construct them – is increasing around the world, fuelled by a rise in environmental consciousness and the knowledge that our existing non-renewable resources are not going to last forever. The Middle East is not immune to this trend; in 2008, for example, the Dubai ruler and UAE Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, passed a decree to implement green building in line with the emirate’s strategic plan.

However, with the UAE earning the dubious accolade of having the highest carbon footprint of any nation, according to the World Wildlife Fund, there is clearly still a lot of work to be done. The advantage being, of course, that when the Sheikh talks, people listen – even Dubai’s upscale developers.

One example of this is the increasing investment by developers in district cooling systems, which distribute chilled water through underground pipes to groups of buildings. District cooling can provide twice as much energy efficiency as individual air-conditioning systems.

Another example is the recent high-profile launch of the Blue Communities project by developer Nakheel, backed by the Sheikh. The project will invest 200 million dirham over three years to bring together a wide range of people – from government ministers to philosophers, poets and photographers – to define standards and guidelines for sustainable coastal development.

In addition, the 400 metre-high Lighthouse at the Dubai International Financial Centre is aiming to be the first skyscraper to achieve a platinum rating under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system. If it succeeds, it will be only the 18th building in the world to achieve this standard. The Lighthouse will use 58 percent less electrical energy and 48 percent less water than the standard design for buildings in Dubai.

Sustainable design
For a building to be truly green, sustainability must be integrated into the design from the outset, as Sudhir Jambhekar, Senior Partner in architectural firm FXFOWLE, explains, “Our advancement of sustainable design spans a wide variety of project typologies, and in each case, an integrated design approach promotes solutions relevant to the program, building size and location. Right now we are designing more than 1.4 million square metres of LEED space around the world, including three LEED Platinum projects and seven LEED Gold projects.

“We recently partnered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR and EPA Climate Leadership programs, and are currently developing a comprehensive climate change strategy to reduce our office operations’ greenhouse gas emissions.”

FXFOWLE has been involved in the planning of 200 hectares of land called the Canal District within the Waterfront, Nakheel’s new sustainable mixed-use development in Dubai. The Canal District is designed to the standards of the United States Green Building Council’s LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND), and is the world’s largest district designed to LEED Gold standards. The master plan divides the site into eight smaller districts that are connected by a light rail system and a series of parks, canals and pedestrian boulevards. Sustainable guidelines will ensure that all future buildings on the site will be LEED Gold.

Another of FXFOWLE ‘s energy efficient projects is the Maritime Tower, also in Dubai, a 39-storey projected LEED Gold office building comprised of a seven-storey podium with four stories of offices on three sides, and a total floor area that is approximately 102,000 square metres. The tower will be located in Maritime City – a new city with maritime facilities, education, commercial, residential and retail complexes. The tower takes the form of three layers of sails curving up from the ground, built to look as if they are billowing in the wind, and is oriented in an east-west direction to minimise direct sunlight exposure and maximise views to the adjoining waterfront and main avenue vistas.

Making progress
Jambhekar says that in the countries in which the firm works, sustainability is now either at the forefront of the building industry (for example, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi), or it’s just beginning to surface, such as in Saudi Arabia. Dubai now requires that every project not only be sustainable, but also be LEED-certified.

When asked what is behind this new-found environmental consciousness, Jambhekar replies, “His Royal Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum once said: ‘We have to make history and approach the future with steady steps, not wait for the future to come to us.’ I think this is the perfect example of a driver to ‘go green’. We must act now and not wait. Having said that, I think the specific drivers for this desire in the Middle East region are a combination of the following: energy is expensive, water is not plentiful, there is greater awareness of the LEED system, and there is a new consciousness surrounding the issue on the part of world leaders.”

One problem that will continue to trouble the Middle East’s construction sector is the continuing need for many building materials to be imported. Companies like FXFOWLE use local materials sourced from within a 500-mile radiance of each project site whenever possible, as well as recycled materials and finishes. However, many of the ingredients needed to provide the glittering edge to region’s luxurious buildings – Italian marble, for example, and even materials as relatively mundane as glass – must still be transported across long distances, raising the area’s carbon footprint substantially.

Jambhekar also believes that in order to be considered a global leader in sustainable design and development, the Middle East needs to explore and implement a greater design strategy for public transport. “Dubai is doing this quite successfully,” he points out, “but Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia need to make it a priority. I also believe that there needs to be more emphasis on energy-generating ideas, such as geothermal and other renewable energy technologies; and more focus given to conserving and reusing water. Lastly, and probably most importantly, there must be carefully planned growth. The region must embrace the idea of urbanism, and recognise density over urban sprawl.”

The Middle East will obviously face great challenges in its drive to become an environmental leader. But with the financial resources available in the region and the commitment from those in power, this vision could well become reality.

DIFC Lighthouse
The first skyscraper to get a LEED platinum rating
A 400m tower, with 64 storeys of offices and, above them, three horizontal-axis wind turbines integrated into the facade. The building also has an entire wall made of photovoltaic panels to generate solar energy, and together Atkins hopes the renewables will generate 10 percent of the building’s energy needs. The building is designed to let in light but not heat, minimising lighting and cooling requirements. It is attached to a district cooling system, and has ‘hundreds’ of energy and water-saving measures, including chilled beams, low-energy lighting, advanced lighting controls, low-energy car park ventilation and lighting and an intelligent building management system. Atkins expects the Lighthouse to use 48 percent less water and 58 percent less energy than Dubai’s standard designs.