Green Building Award JEDDAH – DAMAC Properties, one of the leading luxury real estate developers in the Middle East, has become the first company ever to receive a Green Building Certification from the Department of Planning & Development, Trakhees. Trakhees, the Department for Planning & Development, a Dubai-based local regulatory authority and the first to undertake local certification, bestowed the honor on the NAIA at Suburbia Jebel Ali hotel apartments, which will open later this year. The project demonstrated its compliance to Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) Sustainability criteria for the built environment, and became the first project to ever be certified ‘green' under the scheme. The EHS In-House Green Building certification involves stringent compliance requirements and an exhaustive review process. “I compliment and thank the developers and the stakeholder community for reposing trust on the EHS and congratulate the team for successfully accomplishing the certification,” said Madiha Salem, Director EHS. “The EHS ‘in-house' certification program for Green Buildings was announced to provide its clients with a region-specific, appropriate and cost effective alternative. This program focused a great deal on professional reviews and specific interventions that resonate with the urgent needs of the region.” NAIA at Suburbia Jebel Ali was shown to use nearly 30 percent of its materials with recycled content, and had sourced more than 22 percent of its materials regionally. The project will also achieve an energy saving of more than 22 percent and 33 percent savings on potable water use. “DAMAC Properties is committed to building a lasting, and sustainable environment for our children and it is a great honor to be the first company to be recognised in such a way by the Department of Planning & Development, Trakhees,” said Ziad El Chaar, Managing Director, DAMAC Properties. “The green building certificate is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our staff and consultants who have worked tirelessly on this exciting project.” NAIA at Suburbia Jebel Ali is a two-tower luxury furnished serviced apartment development adjacent to Jebel Ali Port and ideally situated within the logistics corridor of Dubai. The project provides preferred parking spaces for low-emitting and fuel efficient vehicles, with all on-site parking spaces located under cover. The incorporation of native adaptive vegetation and highly efficient irrigation design has reduced landscape water demand by 68 percent while 22 percent of the roof area is covered with vegetation and 51 percent is covered with roofing materials with high SRI value (Solar Reflectance Index) which reduces heat island effect. — SG
