His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the new headquarters of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) in Al Jadaf on Friday, describing it as "the tallest, largest, and smartest government building with net positive energy in the world."

This building, named "Al Shira'a," is equipped with over 110,000 smart sensors, more than 1,500 wireless access points, and 3,200 network devices, generating over 1.9 million automated control commands daily. The power generation capacity of this facility is also 5 megawatts, supplied through two main photovoltaic solar panel systems.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, considered this building a "global symbol of architecture" and stated:

"This project embodies Dubai's leadership in innovation and sustainability and serves as an inspiring model for sustainable development, energy efficiency, and the use of technology in the service of humanity."

Details of the new DEWA building

In 2020, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the CEO and Managing Director of DEWA, announced that the footprint of the "Al Shira'a" building exceeds two million square feet. The building consists of 15 floors, one basement level, and 5 parking levels, with a capacity to accommodate 5,000 people.

Facilities in this complex include a 500-person conference hall, training rooms, a creativity center, an exhibition hall, a kindergarten for the children of female employees, and a sports club.

This building features over 20,000 square meters of photovoltaic solar panels with a capacity of over 4,000 kilowatts. Additionally, 1,000 square meters of integrated solar panels are incorporated into the building, which will produce over 6,500 megawatt-hours of renewable energy annually.

In 2020, DEWA awarded the first phase of this project, valued at 46 million dirhams, to Dutco Balfour Beatty. The second phase contract was awarded to a consortium consisting of Ghantoot Transport & General Contracting and Ghantoot Gulf Contracting.

The total construction cost of this building, including the installation of solar and smart systems, is reported to be approximately 1.2 billion dirhams.

Source: Gulf Times