DEWA Headquarters, Zero Energy Building

The new-build of the headquarters building for the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), extending over 20 storeys plus four parking levels and a gross surface area of 194,000 m² is certified as a Net Zero Energy Building and is planned to achieve ‘LEED Platinum’ and ‘WELL Silver’. The power for the building will be generated by what at present is the world’s largest photovoltaic sail to be integrated into a building, generating 4.2 MWp of electrical power. For that reason, this structure has been named ‘Al Sheraa’ (‘The Sail’).

This administration building has been designed for a maximum of 5,000 employees and includes 15 floors of open-plan office space with integrated office cells for management staff as well as meeting areas, leisure and work zones. In addition, three floors are designated for public use, covering a huge range of different functions.

OBERMEYER planned the entire building using the BIM method across all disciplines: Architecture, structural planning, technical building equipment including building automation and Smart Building Technology, interior design, energy & environmental technology and construction physics.

All trades were coordinated right from the planning stage to avoid overlaps then simulations were run continuously to monitor energy-related targets, ensuring that a Digital Twin existed right from the start of construction work. Design decisions were discussed and agreed using a virtual walk-around of the Digital Twin with VR goggles, and office organisation planning as well as traffic flows and people movements within the building were coordinated using the model.

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