Siemens Middle East’s headquarters at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, UAE, achieved a 63 per cent saving of energy consumption and a 52 per cent saving of water consumption, compared to a standard office building.

The firm celebrated the first anniversary of moving into this award-winning Middle East headquarters, which is the first Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum-certified office building in the emirate, which was inaugurated in January last year, said a statement.
 
Designed by UK architects Sheppard Robson with energy efficiency as a priority, the building incorporates a range of innovative features, materials and technologies which significantly reduce the consumption of power and water.
 
Dietmar Siersdorfer, chief executive officer of Siemens Middle East and UAE, said: “When we moved into our new headquarters a year ago, I said it was important for Siemens to ‘walk the talk’ in the region.

“We inaugurated our new headquarters as a further commitment to our long-term presence in the UAE and the Middle East, and to set an example with our actions.
 
“I’m proud to say that one year on, we have made an important statement about the significance of innovative, intelligent infrastructure in the Middle East. Siemens and Masdar have proved that with the right mindset, partners and technology, it is possible to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of a UAE office building.”

Dr Ahmad Belhoul, chief executive officer, Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, said: “Achieving the highest ratings in terms of design, sustainability and efficiency, the Siemens headquarters is a prime example of Masdar’s commitment to developing more sustainable solutions that are commercially competitive.

“The building’s exemplary performance over the past year underscores what can be achieved when innovation is coupled with cutting-edge technology, and sets the bar for new buildings – in the United Arab Emirates and abroad.”
 
The headquarters building, which accommodates around 800 Siemens employees, is raised off the ground and constructed as a ‘box-within-a-box’, said the statement.

A highly insulated inner façade reduces thermal conductivity and a lightweight aluminium external shading system minimises solar gain, while maximising sunlight within the building. It is also positioned to face the direction of the prevailing wind, making use of a Venturi tunnel underneath the building to maintain a cooling airflow through specially designed wind channels, it said.
 
A fully-integrated building management system from Siemens automatically adjusts lighting and temperature levels, significantly reducing resource consumption. The building also has security systems and fire alarm and gas suppression systems from Siemens Building Technologies. - TradeArabia News Service