Green index ratings are the foundation for District 2020 legacy
The Sustainability Pavilion, an Enoc service station, and the UAE and Saudi Pavilions are among seven structures at Expo 2020 Dubai that earned the highest rating from a green living index.
The Rove hotel and two other buildings that encircle Al Wasl dome, the 360-degree projection screen at Dubai South, also gained the top rating under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or Leed, a system that measures cost-saving, sustainable architecture.
Dina Storey, director of Expo’s sustainability operations, said that as the UAE moved towards its 2050 net zero goals, the Leed ratings would improve people’s understanding of green energy targets.
“These seven buildings are 33 per cent more efficient in terms of energy and about 50 per cent more efficient in terms of water consumption,” she told The National.
“What we are doing at Expo is a pilot for what can be done around the Dubai and also around the UAE and the region.”
A total of 121 permanent buildings received the Leed certification from the US Green Building Council, the non-profit organisation that created and developed the rating.
The council gave 103 buildings a gold rating, nine were given silver and two others were certified, Expo officials said on Sunday.
The Mobility Pavilion was rated gold, along with buildings in the Sustainability and Opportunity districts and in the Expo Village.
The ratings are important because 80 per cent of the site will become part of District 2020, a residential and business neighbourhood, after the Expo ends in March.
“The efficiency will be great value for tenants and can save a lot of money for the people who will be living and working here in the future,” Ms Storey said.
People will also have the advantage of high-quality filtration systems, meaning the air inside the buildings is healthy, she said.
“It will be cooler when everywhere outside is warm, with not much energy usage. All of these things affect me as a person who will be in this building – the air I breathe, my comfort level, the light pollution.
“All of these aspects are included in this certification that puts the well-being of the person inhabiting it at the centre of the equation.”
Buildings are given points and a score based on elements such as materials used in construction, architecture that provides for shade and cooling, low consumption of water and energy and indoor air quality.
Sourcing construction materials locally can cut carbon emissions, Ms Storey said.
Ultraviolet-resistant window glass and shading reduce the heat from direct sunlight.
Water use is cut by lowering flow in taps and toilets.
The wood used in construction has a guarantee that it does not come from an endangered source.
Dozens of country pavilions that use green technology are not covered by the rating because Leed certifications are applied only to permanent structures.
Ahmed Al Khatib, chief development and delivery officer at the world’s fair, said the green index awards were part of efforts to make Expo 2020 Dubai one of the most sustainable such events yet and part of the legacy for District 2020 as a model smart city.
“Moulding the environmental, economic and social dimensions of places we live, sustainability at Expo represents a commitment to making a positive impact at a local, regional and global level throughout our 182-day run and beyond,” he said.
Mr Al Khatib said the awards honoured the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to position the UAE as a green economy power.
“Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection in the Middle East and the central role buildings play in that effort, Expo 2020 Dubai is setting the intention for the entire region, and carving a path towards the sustainable future its citizens deserve,” said Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, managing director, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, Green Business Certification.