Highest sustainability engineering honour awarded to Expo 2020 Dubai

Eight infrastructure projects across Expo 2020 Dubai have been awarded the highest rating under CEEQUAL, the internationally recognised sustainability assessment for civil engineering, representing a major milestone in Expo’s goal to become one of the most sustainable World Expos ever.

Ratings under CEEQUAL – the world’s first sustainability assessment, rating and certification scheme for best practice in infrastructure projects – range from a ‘Pass’ at 30 per cent to ‘Excellent’ at 75 per cent, assessed across a range of sustainability issues, including land use, ecology, transport, resilience and pollution. Expo 2020 is the first project in the Middle East to receive an ‘Excellent’ CEEQUAL rating.

The beating heart of Expo 2020, connecting all three Thematic Districts and acting as a meeting place in a shaded microclimate unlike anywhere in Dubai, Al Wasl Plaza exceeded the award’s highest threshold, with a 91.6 per cent score. The trellis and steelwork of the 130-metre by 67.5-metre Al Wasl dome, which encircles the plaza and creates the largest 360-degree projection surface in the world, scored even higher, at 93.6 per cent.

One of the largest rosters of awards given by CEEQUAL on a single site globally, Expo 2020’s ‘Excellent’ certificates represent the highest industry recognition for civil engineering and highlight how the event has incorporated sustainable design principles across its buildings, infrastructure and landscaping.

Developed by the UK-based Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the wider industry, CEEQUAL was launched in 2004. It is now part of the BREEAM family of schemes within BRE Global, bringing together the world’s leading sustainability assessment methods for buildings, master planning and infrastructure across the built asset lifecycle.

Ahmed Al Khatib, Chief Development and Delivery Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “As one of our three key subthemes, sustainability impacts the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the communities where we live and represents our commitment to have a positive impact on a local, national, regional and global scale.

“Honouring the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to position the UAE as a pioneer in sustainable development and the green economy, each of these CEEQUAL ‘Excellent’ certificates is a testament to the dedication and teamwork of our sustainability and site delivery teams. All involved are bound by a shared desire to ensure Expo 2020 is one of the most sustainable World Expos ever, while supporting the UAE’s efforts to build cleaner, safer and healthier communities for its people.”

The CEEQUAL Excellent awards span Expo’s Public Realm, Al Wasl Plaza, parks, shading and other infrastructure across the 4.38 sqkm site.

Keith Nicholson, Infrastructure Key Account and Major Project Manager at BRE, said: “Expo 2020 Dubai’s infrastructure, including its sub-projects, has illustrated a high level of sustainability performance across the entire site. We are extremely proud of the project teams’ achievements and determination in being awarded a high CEEQUAL ‘Excellent’ rating – the first project in the Middle East to achieve this and a testament to the hard work of all those involved.”

Expo 2020’s sustainability efforts align with a host of national and international drivers, such as UAE Vision 2040, the UAE Centennial 2071 Plan and the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as ‘A Green Economy for Sustainable Development’ – launched in 2012 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which seeks to establish the UAE as a global hub and a successful model of the new green economy.

From 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, Expo 2020 Dubai will invite visitors from every corner of the globe to join the making of a new world, as they discover life-changing innovations that will have a meaningful, positive impact on people and planet.