Release
Siemens AG today broke ground for its Regional headquarters at Masdar City, as part of a strategic partnership with Masdar.
Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, along with Dr. Roland Busch, member of managing board of Siemens AG and Sector CEO of Siemens Infrastructure and Cities, performed the ground-breaking for the building at Masdar City. The ceremony was attended by senior management from Siemens and Masdar.
The building marks the establishment of Siemens’ anchor presence in Masdar City, occupying 18,000 sq meters and will eventually accommodate nearly 2,000 Siemens staff. When completed the building will meet the Estidama 3 Pearl Rating and will achieve LEED Platinum status.
In the first phase, Siemens will lease 12,000sqm of space which is expected to be completed in the summer of 2013. It will host major facilities including a Centre of Excellence for Smart Buildings and a Leadership Development Centre, as well as Conference Centre for both customer and corporate use.
Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said: “Masdar is mandated to work with global technology leaders to integrate innovation alongside proven technologies and showcase energy efficient solutions that can be applied to other cities globally. By partnering with global technology leaders, such as Siemens, to work with us in Masdar City, we are starting to contribute to the creation of a knowledge-based clean energy sector in the UAE.”
Dr. Roland Busch of Siemens said: “Being a green infrastructure pioneer, Siemens is keen to further intensify the collaboration with Masdar and other stakeholders to develop and showcase cutting edge technologies in Masdar City”.
As a strategic partner for Masdar and Masdar City’s development, Siemens will provide integrated building automation technologies for smart buildings and jointly develop a smart grid solution including demand response applications for the initial phase of Masdar City that will optimize energy consumption and reduce emissions. In addition, Masdar Institute and Siemens are already working together on R&D and innovation-led technology projects. The Building Technologies Centre of Excellence, set up in May 2011, is currently working to identify and develop new applications that can allow buildings autonomously to implement control strategies in response to the grid that includes conventional and renewable energy sources.
About Masdar
Masdar is Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted initiative advancing the development, commercialisation and deployment of renewable energy technologies and solutions. The company serves as a link between today’s fossil fuel economy and the energy economy of the future – developing the “greenprint” for how we will live and work tomorrow. Backed by the stability and reputation of the Mubadala Development Company, the strategic investment company of the government of Abu Dhabi, Masdar is dedicated to the emirate’s long-term vision for the future of energy.
About Masdar City:
Masdar City is an emerging clean-technology cluster located in what aims to be one of the world’s most sustainable cities. This special economic zone in Abu Dhabi seeks to become a global centre for innovation, research, product development and light manufacturing in the fields of renewable energy and sustainable technologies. Leading multinational companies in the cleantech sector, as well as small- and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurial start-ups will locate R&D labs, marketing offices and headquarters in the city. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will base its headquarters in the city, while GE will build its first Ecomagination Centre at Masdar City.
For more information about Masdar City, please visit: www.masdarcity.ae
Additional Notes:
Estidama means ‘sustainability’ in Arabic and is the sustainability initiative of the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Pearl Rating System is a key component of Estidama that deals specifically with the built environment and its performance in relation to economic, environmental, cultural and social aspects. A Pearl represents the Pearl Rating System levels. So 1 Pearl is the entry level and 5 Pearls is the highest level of achievement.
About Siemens
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors. For over 160 years, Siemens has stood for technological excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality. The company is the world’s largest provider of environmental technologies. More than one-third of its total revenue stems from green products and solutions. In fiscal 2010, which ended on September 30, 2010, revenue from continuing operations (excluding Osram and Siemens IT Solutions and Services) totalled €69 billion and net income from continuing operations €4.3 billion. At the end of September 2010, Siemens had around 336,000 employees worldwide on the basis of continuing operations. Further information is available on the Internet at: https://www.siemens.com.
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