The US Green Building Council has certified 121 permanent buildings across Expo 2020 Dubai, marking a huge sustainability milestone not just for the mega-event but also for its legacy project, District 2020.
The District 2020 is the human-centric sustainable smart city that repurposes 80 percent of the Expo’s build environment into an integrated mixed-use community.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system recognizes buildings that use less energy and water over their lifetimes and have lower operating costs and carbon footprints.
Further, it recognizes the buildings that are built with environmentally friendly materials, have fewer construction impacts, have better indoor air quality, and are better connected to the community, all of which contribute to a more sustainable urban environment.
According to the statement, “Seven buildings across the 4.38 sqkm location, including the UAE Pavilion, Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion and ENOC’s ‘Service Station of the Future’, have been certified ‘Platinum’, the highest possible rating under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) – the most widely used green building rating system globally, and a mark of excellence for highly-efficient, cost-saving sustainable architecture. Of the 121 LEED-certified buildings, 103 are also LEED Gold, nine are LEED Silver and two are ‘Certified’.”
Ahmed Al-Khatib Chief Development & Delivery Officer Dubai Expo 2020
“Moulding the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the places we live, sustainability at Expo represents our commitment to making a tangible, positive impact at a local, regional and global level throughout our 182-day run and beyond – honoring the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to position the UAE as a sustainable development pioneer and a green economy hub. A result of the hard work and dedication of our sustainability and site-delivery teams, our LEED certifications are emblematic of our efforts not only to host one of the most sustainable World Expos in history but to ensure our physical legacy, District 2020, serves as a model for the sustainable smart cities of the future.”
“Achieving LEED certification is more than just implementing sustainable practices. It represents a commitment to making the world a better place and influencing others to do better. 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 toward the sustainable future its citizens deserve. I am honored that they have chosen LEED certification to commit to this worthy goal,” commented Mr. Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI).
As per the statement, the LEED certifications build on the eight CEEQUAL ‘Excellent’ certificates awarded to Expo earlier this year for a range of infrastructure projects, including Al Wasl Plaza and the steel and trellis work of the dome that encircles it, creating the largest 360-degree projection surface in the world. CEEQUAL is the international evidence-based sustainability assessment, rating, and awards scheme for civil engineering, infrastructure, landscaping and works in public spaces.
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