Objective

The Client’s aspiration was to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED “Gold” certificate.
This building was the first registered in Lebanon to be assessed according to the US Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED sustainability scheme, LEED New Construction v2.2.

Brief

While still at a conceptual stage, we were appointed and joined the project’s design team as Sustainability Consultants. Our role throughout the design, tender, and construction stages was to advise on the various LEED credit requirements and sustainability measures to ensure that the building obtains the LEED certificate.

Part of our responsibility entailed undertaking 3D simulations and thermal modelling analysis of the proposed building, and advising on cost-effective and suitable energy-efficiency solutions and renewable energy technologies for this project –taking into account the local coastal Mediterranean climate and available resources. The aim was to reduce the building’s cooling load, as well as its overall energy consumption. Day-lighting simulations were also carried out to assess natural day-lighting levels within each occupied space.

Other sustainability issues have been addressed, such as: significantly lessening the project’s water consumption; improving internal thermal comfort and indoor environmental quality; enhancing vegetated outdoor space and green roofs with the selection of native plant species requiring little irrigation and maintenance; and specifying a larger proportion of locally sourced and low-impact materials.