Bee’ah Achieves Milestone Toward Completion of Iconic HQ

Bee’ah, the Sharjah, UAE -based environmental management company, has made headway in the construction of its iconic new headquarters. The company commemorated the completion of the highest point of the structure, with a topping-out ceremony held at the site in Al Saj’ah. The headquarters is on schedule for completion by the end of 2018.

A primary feature of the headquarters is that of its net-zero energy consumption. The building will be utilizing photovoltaic cells to ensure complete reliance on renewable energy. To facilitate efficient use of the cells, Bee’ah signed an agreement with Tesla to utilize its advanced Powerpack battery technology. The company has acquired nine storage packs, with a total capacity of 1,890 kWhs, which will store the energy from the cells and keep the building operational in the absence of sunlight.

In addition to being completely powered by renewable energy, the new headquarters uses products like recycled aggregate in construction, incorporates energy and water-saving fixtures, maximizes the benefit of natural elements like sunlight and wind for heating and cooling, utilizes native vegetation for landscaping and ensures reuse of greywater.

The building is expected to receive LEED Platinum certification by the United States Green Building Council.

The new headquarters has been designed by Zaha Hadid Architects to resemble a series of intersecting sand dunes, enabling it to blend harmoniously into the desert landscape. The construction process has also been notable for its innovative and intelligent approach to recycling. In addition to recycling greywater and material waste generated onsite, the raw building materials are acquired from sustainable sources, while concrete aggregates produced by the project itself are used in the construction of barriers. Lights on perimeter fences are solar powered and, the project as a whole, has sought to benefit the wider community by encouraging site visits from engineering and architecture student groups based within the UAE.

With 270 construction workers, engineers and managers onsite, the steelwork for the massive structure has been completed, while the architectural concrete dome which forms the centerpiece of the project has been put in place. Mechanical and electrical work is progressing rapidly across the site, while internal work is also underway. Construction on external envelopes for the roof and walls is ongoing. This structure and façade work, with its complex 3-D geometrical shapes made of glass reinforced concrete, is the responsibility of specialist engineering firm BuroHappold. The main structure of the visitor’s center and “main dune” is complete, while that of the standalone energy center is 50 percent complete. One million man hours have elapsed without an incident or injury to any site workers.

Carillion Plc is serving as general contractor on the project.

Source: https://beeah.ae/en/news.

Image source: www.proudgreenbuilding.com.