SUMMERTOWN Interiors says it has become the first company of its kind in the region to be awarded Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC) for its headquarters in Dubai.

The buildings and interiors sector plays an integral role in contributing to environmental sustainability as buildings account for approximately 40 per cent of the consumption of raw materials and energy, says Marcos Bish of the Summertown Interiors, a corporate turnkey interior fit-out contractor.

“For Summertown, the urgency to become a part of the environmental sustainability movement regionally was a strong contributing factor in our decision to become a part of this Leed standard,” he adds.

Leed  is a building rating system developed by the USGBC which outlines standards required for carrying out environmentally sustainable construction. 

“Summertown has adopted Leed as an opportunity to lead our industry by example. To deliver solutions within budgets to companies looking to convert their offices into Leed-compliant facilities, we have to also abide by its requirements,” says Bish.

“We also deliver on conventional interior fit-outs, but with the growing awareness of environmental sustainability and an increasing regional emphasis on green rating systems for buildings and interiors, Summertown has the experience and certification to meet these eco-friendly requests.

“There are several levels of environmental sustainability that a company can employ in its offices – it need not be an ‘all or nothing’ mentality. Companies that are looking for this kind of solution on any level are thinking with regard to long-term returns, and as environmental sustainability decreases operating expenses, in addition to a multitude of other economic benefits, the green solution is gaining a foothold here in the region,” he said.

The greatest challenge for the new Summertown office in the Jebel Ali Free Zone was to design it within a set of Leed and budgetary parameters without compromising the look and feel of the facility. The overall concept for the office was to come up with energy-efficient, environment-friendly, and cost-effective designs. The most important characteristics are to incorporate water efficiency, optimise energy performance, minimise energy use, increase usage of material with recycled content, deliver efficient waste management and improve indoor environmental quality. For energy conservation, the Summertown office focuses on natural light; there are also daylight control sensors, dimming or increasing light intensity in accordance with available sunlight.

In order to improve indoor air quality, there are carbon dioxide (CO2) sensors in place to monitor CO2 content indoors regulating fresh air in case the CO2 content should increase. Sensor controls in the bathrooms control water usage, keeping it to a minimum. By installing the water-efficient fixtures, Summertown has reduced water consumption by 30 per cent. Furthermore, the building has a central building management system.

While the Leed gold standard compliance initially costs an additional five to 15 per cent to fit-out, the expected return-on-investment period is a maximum of five years in a facility that has a much longer life span as a result of its sustainable design, says Bish.