Ibrahim Jassim al-Othman, UDC president, CEO, and member of the board, said: “UDC has been making diligent efforts to minimise our impact on the environment by reducing the average carbon footprint per employee as well as energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.
“This certification is therefore a step closer to achieving operational excellence, of which environmental sustainability is an inherent component. We finally hope this important milestone will contribute to making our business more sustainable as we actively seek to continue improving our sustainability performance and rating.”
Dr Yousef al-Horr, founding chairman of Gord, said: “UDC’s commitment to environmental excellence has been evident from the outset. Housing the largest district cooling plant in the world, The Pearl Island has already set a precedent in sustainable building practices and energy optimisation.
“By receiving GSAS Operations, UDC is now pushing the limit to further reverse the effects of climate change resulting from our urban developments. We congratulate UDC for achieving GSAS Gold rating and hope to see more projects benefiting from the GSAS framework.”
Located in The Pearl Island’s Abraj Quartier precinct, which consists of seven towers, UDC Tower covers a built-up area of 114,740sqm and is one of the two gateway towers strategically positioned to make an iconic entrance to the island.
Upon completing necessary audits by sustainability experts from GSAS Trust, the project attained GSAS-OP Gold rating, signifying that it meets GSAS’ stringent standards to minimise the carbon emissions resulting from building operations.
Being one of the tallest structures in The Pearl Island, the 42-storey building is a high-end office complex equipped with state-of-the-art amenities that include a health club, restaurants, and an eight-floor podium parking space connected to the tower.
To ensure sustainable operations across these facilities, the project benefits from district cooling technology which compared to conventional cooling, delivers significant energy savings.
UDC’s efforts toward climate action extend beyond the scope of its recently certified headquarters. As part of its corporate commitment, UDC has implemented company-wide measures aimed at environmental protection.
For instance, all projects managed and operated by UDC are equipped with eco-friendly technologies to minimise their energy footprint. Within the community, regular awareness campaigns are conducted to educate residents on ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Similarly, UDC has mechanisms in place to ensure waste segregation at source while also promoting recycling and environmentally friendly processes and packaging.
Following the successful GSAS certification of UDC Tower, UDC has expressed plans to obtain GSAS-OP for more projects within The Pearl Island.