Largest LEED Platinum project in the world

A view of the library at KAUST
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KAUST’s new campus is Saudi Arabia’s first LEED-certified project, earning LEED Platinum. In addition, it is the largest certified project of its kind in the world to date.

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) at Thuwal, near Jeddah in Saudi Arabia was the ‘Most Sustainable Project of the Year’ in the 2009 MEP Awards. We take a closer look at this massive project.

KAUST was recently announced as one of the winners of the American Institute of Architects’ Top 10 Green Buildings awards for 2010. The new international graduate-level research university campus was designed by HOK Architects and completed in September 2009. The university was established by the government-owned Aramco, the world’s largest energy corporation, to drive innovation in science and technology and to support world-class research in areas such as energy and the environment.

KAUST’s new campus is Saudi Arabia’s first LEED-certified project, earning a LEED Platinum certification. While the project was certified under the old LEED Version 1.0 certification, as a 496 000 square metre project, it represents the world’s largest LEED Platinum project.

In order to assure that KAUST was awarded the LEED Platinum level, MEP contractor Drake & Scull International PJSC (DSI) had to alter conventionally used designs and installations, as well as employ several innovative engineering techniques and products. This included:
• Designing a system to sustain a lifecycle of 100 years;
• Maximising efficiency of installed systems and using specific special construction materials for the laboratory buildings;
• Adopting photovoltaic cells for generating power;
• Installing solar towers and solar water heaters;
• Using low-emission sealants;
• Minimising construction waste; and
• Using recyclable materials wherever possible.

The engineering office of DSI worked out of Saudi Oger’s engineering offices in Paris, France to ensure that the designs were being finalised as per the DSI team’s input and requirements. From inception, the campus was designed to be environment-friendly. The university will act as a living laboratory by demonstrating that environmentally-responsible methods of energy use, materials management and water consumption are viable in the Middle East and across the globe.

Alternative transportation reduces campus emissions and provides convenient transit options. A total of 100 shared electric vehicles and charging stations are distributed across campus, and additional vehicles will be added as the university grows in size. Three campus shuttle bus system lines with dedicated stops across campus serve the entire community. A Segway scooter and bicycle sharing system provide additional short-distance travel options in most months of the year.

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Renewable energy helps cool and power the campus. There are two solar towers each 75 metres high.

Two fans, each extracting 95 cubic metres per second through 3.0 metre diameter axial blades, use the sun and prevailing winds to create a passive pressure difference and continuous breeze along the shaded courtyards, and allow exterior courtyard occupants to feel comfortable for more than 75% of the year.

A total of 1 152 units of solar thermal panels with a 4 134 square metre area for hot water production was installed on the monumental roof, and will produce around 50 Gegajoules per day. A total of 16 567 square metres of photovoltaic arrays installed on the monumental roof will produce 4 Megawatts of renewable energy, offsetting 5.7% of the total campus energy demand.

A proposed 900 000 square metres of solar energy panels will eventually provide 100% of all campus energy needs and make the university carbon neutral. The university has contracted to obtain 35% of the total campus energy needs from an outside renewable energy provider.

The use of variable speed drives to run all the major equipment such as air-handling units, chilled water pumps and different types of fans contributes to reducing the overall power consumption.

Adopting the principle of skylights, side by side with daylight sensors to control the indoor lighting without human interference, will also help to eliminate power wastage.