Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the integrated free zone technology park, said its pilot green building project Techno-Point has received the top Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (Leed) ratings in its maiden attempt.

Leed is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. To receive the certification, building projects need to satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification.

It was developed and administered by the US Green Building Council, a Washington, DC based, non-profit coalition of building industry leaders.

The Leed Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (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.

The Techno-Point won the Leed (EBOM) platinum rating garnering a total of 85 out of a possible 110 points.

Spanning 117,600 sq ft in area, the commercial buiding has become the first Dubai government facility to win this certification.  

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, received the Leed certification from Dr Mohamed Al Zarooni, the vice chairman and CEO of DSOA and Khalil Shalan, the senior VP (Operations & Facility) at DSOA.

Commenting on the achievement, Sheikh Ahmed 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," he stated.

Dr Alzarooni, said by achieving 85 points in the coveted platinum rating level, Techno-Point is by far the highest rated Leed Existing Building in the Middle East and North Africa (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," he added.-TradeArabia News Service