The Sustainable Energy and Environment Division (SEED) at Tecom Investments, a member of Dubai Holding, has handed over the third Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building.

The LEED Silver certified commercial building will be the new home for media giant Omnicom Media Group.

Located in Dubai Media City (DMC), a member of Tecom Investments, the new building is the first LEED-certified project at DMC, the first LEED-certified project delivered by Tecom Investments to a single business partner, and the seventh LEED-certified project in the GCC.

The building is expected to reduce energy consumption by 11.4 per cent or about 151,787 kWh per year and is more energy efficient compared to ASHRAE 90.1 – 2004 standards, a statement said.

Similarly, domestic water consumption will be reduced by 50.5 per cent or about 546,063 gallons. Further water savings, for irrigation purposes, will also be achieved through utilizing the water generated from the air-conditioning system, the statement added.

“With thousands of companies operating out of its 11 business parks, TECOM is strongly aware of the importance of energy conservation,” said Ali Bin Towaih, executive director of SEED.

“We have also demonstrated that going green has no costs.  From our own experience in creating LEED-compliant office space, we are confident Omnicom Media Group’s employees will benefit from the improved workplace conditions within the green building,” he added.

Mohammad Abdullah, executive director, Dubai Media City, said: “We are dedicated to spreading greater awareness among companies operating out of Tecom’s business parks on the economic benefits of LEED-certified buildings.”

“We have empirical evidence demonstrating that by adopting certain simple measures, companies can reap significant savings in their operating expenses.  Our success has now prompted us to join hands with our business partners to help them realize similar savings.”

With this project, Tecom Investments has become the only developer in the country and the region to have delivered three LEED-certified buildings in a single calendar year – 2009, according to the statement.

The other two include the management offices at Tecom Investments that earned the LEED Platinum certification, and the Dubai International Academic City Phase-3 which achieved the LEED Silver certification.

Hisham Abi Nassif, regional executive director - group development, Omnicom Media Group, said: “It is imperative for every organisation to find different ways for reducing its carbon footprint.”

“When we decided to take part in this project, we were confident it would not only improve the health and well-being of our employees but also positively impact our overheads and other related costs,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service