Dubai, UAE - Al Shera’a, the new headquarters of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), is the first building anywhere to receive the SPIRE DIAMOND rating, the top level of a Smart Building programme that UL Solutions developed with the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA).
The building was also granted the UL Verified Mark alongside the Diamond rating, which is the highest distinction in the SPIRE Smart Building programme, according to a statement carried by WAM on 11 November.
According to DEWA, the result strengthens its strategic lead in infrastructure that is smart and resilient, and in joining up building systems for sustainability, connectivity, cyber security, wellbeing, health, energy, and the safety of life and property.
The authority describes Al Shera’a as the world’s tallest, largest and smartest net-positive government building. The headquarters already holds Platinum, the highest certification level of the US Green Building Council (USGBC), which it earned in the New Construction category of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Inside, Europhon Acoustics installed approximately 5,000 square metres of acoustic plaster across the lobbies, gym and office spaces, a contract completed in July.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, said: “Al Shera’a, inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, reflects Dubai’s global model for anticipating the future through innovative, smart and integrated solutions, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and the latest technologies to enhance wellbeing and quality of life. It is a global architectural icon embodying Dubai’s leadership in innovation, sustainability, energy efficiency, digital transformation and operational excellence.”
He added: “Al Shera’a’s achievement of the Diamond rating under the SPIRE Smart Building programme demonstrates the high level of maturity, performance and capabilities of this inspiring and advanced model. Powered by data, analytics and automation, the building optimises operational efficiency and occupant costs, while strengthening preparedness for future opportunities and helping shape new models for sustainable development and government competitiveness.”
DEWA said the Diamond rating reflects automation and advanced management of energy at the building, connectivity infrastructure built for resilience, strong governance of cybersecurity, and operations that are integrated and led by data. Its highly automated systems gather and study energy data so that consumption can be optimised.
The building scored best in class on several key criteria, among them the security of its connectivity, governance of cybersecurity and asset management, and demand response alongside distributed energy resources.
Assessors also credited its digital twin, a model combining BIM (Building Information Modelling), IoT (the Internet of Things) and analytics of Big Data, together with capabilities for predictive monitoring and intelligent management of the building.
The authority said the headquarters offers a new model for sustainable buildings: smart solutions sit within one comprehensive cognitive system that senses, analyses and responds, and which changes the government workplace for the digital age.
The system uses AI, Big Data analytics and IoT technologies to tie together every operational system in the building. More than 110,000 smart sensors track operational and environmental conditions in real time, backed by over 1,500 wireless access points and more than 3,200 network devices that DEWA said operate in perfect synchronisation.
Together the technologies allow the cognitive system to send out more than 1.9 million automated control commands every day; DEWA said this improves performance efficiency and operational integration.
According to DEWA, AI and cognitive systems at Al Shera’a convert data into decisions and turn processes into intelligent systems able to learn and adapt, giving government staff a new kind of workplace.
Every system in the building is run from the AI-powered Al Shera’a smart app, one control interface for approximately 100 independent systems.
Its independent operating functions sit behind an interface the authority described as user-friendly, built around proactive maintenance, optimal management of resources, quality of life, employee wellbeing and the user experience.
Through its digital intelligence, the building also manages resources automatically, according to how much is actually used, which DEWA said makes operations more efficient and sustainable.
