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Dubai now home to world's most sustainable building

After constructing the world's tallest tower, Dubai has now earned the distinction of having the "most sustainable" commercial building in the world – The Change Initiative (TCI).

TCI has secured the highest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum rating from the US Green Building Council (GBC), a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable buildings worldwide, a news report said.

The 4,000-square-metre shop, that provides sustainable solutions in Dubai, achieved 107 points out of 110, making it the most sustainable commercial building in the world.

The record was previously held by Pixel, a four-level building in Australia, with 105 points. "Congratulations on setting a new record with your LEED for Commercial Interiors Platinum project. The store is a great prototype for sustainable real estate applicable

worldwide," S Richard Fedrizzi, President, CEO and FoundingChairman of the US GBC and Chairman of the World GBC, said in his letter to Gundeep Singh, TCI Founder and CEO.

According to the Gulf News, TCI provides environmentally-friendly solutions and incorporates all aspects of green building on its 4,000-square-metre structure from its roofing to energy-efficient lighting to its water system.

TCI has 26 technologies, including solar panels and heat-reflective paint, on its roof that provides 40 per cent of the building’s energy requirements, the report said. Its outer structure has insulation three times more than that of a normal building; all its windows have heat-reflective films; water in the building is re-used and recycled; and most of the materials used for the building’s interiors are recycled.

This high LEED Platinum rating is not the first in Dubai, which is also home to the Dewa (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority) SustainableBuilding, the largest government building in the world with 98 out of 110 points.