Saint-Gobain to build energy efficient house in Abu Dhabi
Masdar City-based ‘multi–comfort house’ project set to be ready by 2019
Saint-Gobain has announced that it will construct an energy-efficient “multi–comfort house” in Masdar City, which will be the first of its kind for the company in the Middle East.
The French construction materials and solutions developer signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) this week with Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, which stipulates the completion of the project in 2019. The agreement was signed in Masdar City between Hady Nassif, general delegate of Saint-Gobain in the Middle East, and Masdar’s CEO Mohammad Jameel Al Ramahi, the company said in a statement.
The Saint-Gobain “multi–comfort house” is a low-energy consuming and positive-energy house, designed to produce more energy than it consumes through the use of high-performance materials and construction methods. Saint-Gobain’s statement added that it achieves comfortable living across four dimensions: light, air quality, acoustics and thermal conditions.
Yousef Baselaib, Masdar’s executive director of sustainable real estate, said: “Masdar City is a hub for innovation and sustainability, and a natural home for Saint-Gobain to showcase its state-of-the-art capabilities in sustainable living.”
Saint-Gobain’s Nassif added: “For 350 years, Saint-Gobain has consistently demonstrated its ability to invent products that improve quality of life. We share Masdar’s commitment to creating a more sustainable future for the generations to come, and our Multi Comfort House is the proof of that commitment.”
Saint-Gobain first developed the concept of multi-comfort construction in 2004. It covers all aspects of comfortable home living, and of occupying tertiary buildings such as offices, shops and public buildings. In total, 18 multi-comfort houses have been built around the world to showcase Saint-Gobain’s strengths in innovation and materials science. The multi-comfort house in Masdar City will be the first in the Middle East and will be fully adapted to the arid conditions of the UAE, the company’s statement said.
The collaboration between Masdar and Saint Gobain follows a busy year of construction activity at Masdar City, which saw agreements for around 400,000sqm of new real estate either signed or approved, including the recent launch of Masdar City’s Eco-Villa prototype, a pilot project incorporating water and energy-saving technologies. Currently, more than 900,000 square metres of Gross Floor Area (GFA) in Masdar City are either complete, under construction or have a firm development agreement in place.
