‘Greenest’ building in the Middle East even more eco-friendly
Sustainable lighting thanks to smart combination of LED and fluorescent luminaires
The Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry chose to work with ETAP for the renovation of its headquarters in the United Arab Emirates. ETAP developed a unique lighting solution with both fluorescent and LED luminaires. Energy-efficiency was a top priority for this client, the first in the Middle East to earn a LEED EB2.0-sustainability certificate.
Big renovation project
Towards the end of 2010 the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry started renovation works on its headquarter in the United Arab Emirates. Several storeys and departments, including the reception, restaurant and offices, were given a thorough face-lift. ETAP was commissioned to design the lighting, taking into account a number of strict requirements.
Sustainability and aesthetics first
Energy-efficiency was a top priority in this renovation. The Dubai Chamber has gone to great efforts for some time now to ensure the sustainable management of this building (see below). It was awarded – the first in the Middle East – a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certificate for an existing building (LEED EB2.0) in 2009. An added challenge was to create lighting that could be integrated in the special honeycomb ceiling designed by the architect (Bluehaus Group).
Energy consumption decreases by 75%
ETAP designed an efficient and low-energy bespoke lighting solution for the honeycomb ceiling working closely with the customer. The result is a hexagonal luminaire with a diameter of 1.35 metres with 3 fluorescent lamps (14W) and a HaloOptics® diffuser. This is a high efficiency solution and offers a nice uniform illumination.
The bespoke fluorescent luminaires are supplemented by LED lighting, including 199 Flare spots and 302 D4 downlights. The emergency lighting (K9 signage luminaires and integrated K9 modules) uses LEDs. The LED luminaires have a long life span, are low in maintenance and environmentally-friendly and thus fit perfectly in the sustainability concept of the Dubai Chamber. End result: thanks to ETAP's innovative light design, the power consumption of the lighting installation is a quarter of the previous lighting.
Project sheet
Client: Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Interior Designers: Bluehaus Group
MEP Consultant: RMJM
Installer: Highgate Interiors
Lighting:
- 72 tailor-made hexagonal diffusors
- 302 D4 LED downlights, including 62 with K9 module
- 199 Flare LED spots
- 19 R4 suspended luminaires, including 4 with K9 module
- 18 U5 recessed luminaires, including 3 with K9 module
Emergency lighting:
- 48 K9 emergency luminaires
- 79 integrated K9 modules
Dubai Chamber management of headquarter is environment- and budget-friendly
Headquarter of business community
The Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry represents the interests of businessmen in Dubai. With more than 100,000 members it is the main Chamber of Commerce in the area. In 1995, it built an 18 storey headquarter near the Dubai river. Every year, 600 events take place in this 20,000 m2 building, which comprises one robust tower and an auditorium for 700 invited guests.
Improving environment and budget
Shortly after moving into this new location, the Dubai Chamber already launched a number of environmentally-friendly initiatives. With great success, so it seems: since 1998, the energy consumption has dropped 47% and the water consumption as much as 77%, whereas there have been increasingly more activities. Thanks to these measures the Chamber was able to save about 1.93 million US dollars between 1998 and 2008. All these ‘green’ improvements were carried out within the earmarked management and maintenance budget.
The measures vary from courses for the staff, the drastic reduction of rinse water and the reuse of condense water, to the organising of maintenance and cleaning during office hours so that light and airconditioning could be switched off in the evening and at night. But also initiatives such as a more efficient use of lifts and the installation of sensors for the lighting in toilets and hallways, fall under the programme.
Awarded by LEED EB2.0 certification
In 2009, the headquarter of the Dubai Chamber was rewarded with a LEED Existing Building Certification 2.0 for its efforts – the first existing building in the Arab world. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design and is an internationally recognised green building certification system. The Dubai Chamber applies the strict LEED guidelines for all renovations in its headquarter.