DUBAI Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the integrated free zone technology park, announced its pilot green building project – "Techno-Point"– has received the LEED Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (EBOM) Platinum rating in the very first attempt, achieving a total of 85 out of a possible 110 points. Spanning 117,600 sq ft in area, the commercial facility is the first Government of Dubai facility to win the certification. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, received the LEED certification from Dr Mohamed Al Zarooni, Vice Chairman and CEO of DSOA and Eng. Khalil Shalan, Senior Vice President - Operations & Facility at DSOA. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said "achieving LEED's prestigious certification with the highest score in the region adds to DSOA's previous milestones that are aligned with its commitment to promoting innovation and sustainability. This certification is a testimony to the UAE's encouraging environment that inspires private and public sectors to continuously develop energy-efficient projects. It is indeed commendable that such efforts have directly contributed to positioning the UAE in the 8th place among the top 10 countries with the largest LEED certified spaces." Dr Mohammed Alzarooni said: "Achieving 85 points in the coveted Platinum rating level, Techno-Point is by far the highest rated LEED Existing Building in the MENA region. The certificate reiterates DSO's social responsibility strategy that is built around the three key pillars of the environment, human capital and community. This latest achievement reflects our responsibility towards meeting our stakeholders' expectations, and offering best-in-class facilities to the wider community in the UAE." LEED is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. To receive LEED certification, building projects satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification. It was developed and administered by the US Green Building Council. The LEED EBOM rating system offers four certification levels: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The levels correspond to the number of credits accrued in six green design categories of sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation in operations. Notably, DSOA's Techno-Point building earned points on the LEED EBOM Platinum rating scale for achieving over 66% reduction in single occupant vehicles through offering shuttle services, encouraging car-pooling and the wider use of public transport. Furthermore, the use of low flush and low flow fixtures has helped the facility notch up water savings of up to 82%. Techno-Point has also registered an exemplary energy performance score of 86 on the Energy Star portfolio manager based on electricity consumption records at the building. In addition the use of 100% sustainable material and resources ensure optimum indoor environmental quality for the occupants of the building.
