DEWA begins construction of new smart building Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has started construction of a new headquarters that will be the tallest, largest, and smartest net Zero Energy Building (ZEB) in the world. Located in Culture Village in Al Jadaf, the Al-Sheraa (Arabic for sail) building will have a total built-up area of over 1.5 million square feet on a plot of 200,000 sq ft. The building is designed to accommodate 5,000 employees, in addition to customers and visitors. Over 16.5 km2 of photovoltaic solar panels will produce over 3,500 kilowatt hours (kW/h) and there will be about 10 km2 of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV), producing over 1,100 kWh. Total renewable energy generated by the building will be over 7,000 megawatt hours (MW/h) annually. Al-Sheraa’s design was inspired by the UAE’s traditional houses, where enclosed spaces overlook an open courtyard. The courtyard will be the focal point and most prominent feature of the building. To reduce heat in the open courtyard, a sail design is used to provide shaded areas. The building will use the latest technologies including Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data and Open Data, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Robots will be used for cleaning and to provide security services. Al-Sheraa is planned to be a Zero Energy Building (ZEB), where the total energy used in the building during a year is equal to or less than the energy produced on site during that year. DEWA is targeting a platinum rating by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the highest possible certification.The building will use 50 percent less water than regular buildings and green spaces will be almost 50 percent of the buildings area. The building, which will be directly linked to Dubai Metro by a 150-metre covered bridge, will be completed and inaugurated in 2019.
Klampfer and Brayan Group launch new MEP outfit Klampfer Middle East and Brayan Group have joined forces to service the UAE mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) sector. Klampfer-Brayan Electromechanical Contracting LLC (KBEC) will combine the strength of Klampfer’s international experience with Dubai-based Brayan Group’s leading position in the local market. “As a European company with an international engineering portfolio, Klampfer is moving toward increasing and diversifying our Middle East market share beginning with the United Arab Emirates,” said Klampfer Middle East Managing Director, Günther Hinterberger. “Our partnership with Brayan Group serves to both solidify our local footprint, and leverages the company’s on-the-ground years of MEP experience.” Praveen B Sarapure, chief executive officer, Brayan Group, added: “The merging of our two interests to create KBEC also brings considerable financial support to MEP execution in the UAE. This allows for a focus on strengths – not just of our respective solid reputations and different levels of geographic penetration – but on recruiting top level human capital to service KBEC clients for work needs.” Eng. Joe Szabo, an industry veteran with 15 years senior-level appointments across MEP and various other construction sector disciplines, has been recruited to head the new operation. Klampfer Middle East is a KBW Investments (KBW) portfolio company founded jointly with Basma Group and Klampfer GmbH of Austria.
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