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“The ZERO-E pilot project confirms that, using the expertise and tools available to us today, far greater advances in building performance – those that comprise zero emissions design – are currently within the industry’s capabilities. This joint initiative is not only an entirely new model for sustainable design, it is also a call to action and an invitation to our development and construction partners to join us as we lead the way to a truly sustainable future,” Ross Donaldson, CEO of Woods Bagot, said.

The ZERO-E holistic resource system integrates photo-voltaics, solar thermal panels, absorption chillers, a biogas fuel cell and an anaerobic waste digester into a closed-loop system that greatly improves the building’s operational performance.

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INSIDE OUT

Building green is not only about exteriors, what goes on inside is just as important

DUBAI, UAE
Design firm Summertown won a LEED Gold certification for its headquarters in Jafza at the end of last year, becoming the first interiors company to win the accolade, and proving that sustainability can be more than skin deep.

The office uses 35% less energy, up to 50% less water and diverts over 90% of its waste from the landfill compared to a conventional building. Now the firm is trying to encourage other companies in the Middle East to look at sustainability, claiming that sustainability is analogous to a company’s profitability and provides a visible return on investment within just three to eight years.

“These workshops characterise a process that actively engages prominent decision makers and fundamentally creates a broader understanding of the cost savings and design advantages that come with creating premises such as our showroom,” said Marcos Bish, managing director.