Japan's Nikken Sekkei To Present green Designs At Cityscape Dubai

By Nor Faridah Rashid

DUBAI, Oct 16 (Bernama) -- Japanese design firm Nikken Sekkei, which has been awarded contracts totalling US$1.25 billion (US$1=RM3.40) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, will present a series of selected "green" designs from its extensive international portfolio at Cityscape Dubai, which opens Tuesday.

General Manager and Nikken Sekkei's representative in the UAE, Dr Fadi Jabri, said that due to the increased awareness of the benefits of sustainable development, especially in the Middle East, Cityscape Dubai will provide the company with a great opportunity to demonstrate its excellence in green technology.

"They are no longer just concepts, this technology is not only accessible, it's cost-effective, too" he said in a statement issued in conjunction with the opening of Cityscape Dubai, the world's largest business-to-business property investment and development event.

Projects on show include Toyota Motor Corporation headquarters building, which used the world's largest mirror duct to bring sunlight into an underground cafe and floor air conditioning pumped through porous carpet tiles.

Also on exhibit is the Jiaikai Amami hospital which uses a unique solar heat collection and uses well water for cooling.

Recognised as the world's largest architectural and engineering practice, with over 2,000 professional staff and an income of some US$400 million, Nikken Sekkei was the first Japanese architect to exhibit in the Middle East when it debuted at Cityscape Dubai last year.

Following a highly successful showing of its "Eco Tower" concept, the architectural giant was awarded a number of key regional projects with a combined development cost of US$1.25 billion.

Nikken Sekkei was awarded the contract to design the Burj Al Alam, a 501m landmark tower here, and will also design the centrepiece of the new Dubai Maritime City as well as securing the contract for the mixed-use Andalusia project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

To highlight its commitment to sustainable development, Nikken Sekkei is leading a consortium of top Japanese companies at two symposiums at Abu Dhabi and Dubai next month where it will present an eco-proposal to leading industry figures in both the public and private sectors.

Branded Cool City, the project focuses on transportation and urban development as well as architecture with a low carbon footprint. The proposed city would reduce energy consumption by up to 56 percent by using cutting edge technologies already tried and tested in Japan and available now.

Hamada Akihiko, senior executive officer and head of the international design team at Nikken Sekkei, said that due to the lack of natural resources, Japan is widely considered the leader in environmentally friendly engineering.

"At Nikken, our technology employs the most advanced techniques aimed at maintaining optimum performance levels in energy consumption and water conservation, with a minimal carbon footprint," he added.



-- BERNAMA

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