Cliamtize Closing In On Middle East’s Race Towards Net Zero Building-By-Building

Q: In terms of sustainability, what positive change would you like to see in your industry within the region?

A: Lately the focus has turned primarily on delivering energy efficient (net-zero energy) projects. I’d like to see that grow more but more importantly; I feel there’s still a gap when we look into other sustainable performance concepts. We should divert our focus from only delivering zero energy projects to those that also incorporate low or zero carbon emissions, water, and waste, and equally important to those is ensuring that all projects promote health and wellbeing especially post the covid-19 pandemic. We are still a long way from that as the awareness of these other critical principles is still lacking, especially in this region, with the exception of a few.

Q: What does it mean to you, watching Climatize on the global stage in the context of a commitment to sustainability?

A: Simply pivotal. Climatize started with a vision of creating an organization that revolves around accountability and responsibility to the environment. This vision correlates with the latest global discussions pertaining to sustainability – be it the COP 26, UN SDG’s, UNGA, etc. 

I would like to see Climatize addressing all those right at the heart and center for many generations to come and having witnessed the impacts we’ve accomplished so far, be it from voluntary work, operational policies, or projects we are involved in, gets me reassured that we are on the right track, and it makes us proud and sleeps better at night knowing that we have contributed to savings in carbon impacts and other environmental indicators as part of our commitment. 

Q: Please tell us more about how you got passionate about sustainability, your vision behind CLIMATIZE, the organizations’ philosophy, and how you see the vision and the philosophy being translated into every day and projects.

A: I started my journey into sustainability at the onset of my career. At the time, however, I was merely an architect who was given the opportunity to work with profound engineers in one of the leading architectural firms in the London office on some of the region’s high-end sustainable projects- Masdar.

At the time, the vision and Masdar project was still just getting started. That was an eye-opener for me- started learning about the climate issues, resource degradation, how buildings contribute to the environment and how is it our responsibility as architects to design bearing all environmental factors in mind. Of course, the topic of sustainability was first introduced to me back in university, but I really didn’t get a grasp of its importance until then. 

Having become more aware, I then embarked to become a LEED accredited professional, the only one at the time in a leading multinational design office in Dubai, and through self-studying, I ignited a whole new spectrum of knowledge on the topic led to sparking my passion towards sustainability. By 2010, I was working on delivering a series of first sustainable schools and communities in the region. 

My entire career was and still is focused to be built on creating a positive impact on the environment and this is proven with a record of over 100 projects achieving substantial carbon emission reductions, energy savings, a boost in green infrastructure, and enhancement of occupants’ well-being in the MENA region. 

In 2018, I decided that passion was no longer sufficient, and the need to act consciously and impact the environment positively was now a must. Accordingly, I founded Climatize on the principle that the future of the built environment is correlated to the way we plan, design, construct and operate our projects today.  

We work with clients from project inception. And our aim is to align the strategies, implementation, and operational processes with the global climate commitments while inspiring this generation to lead by example so future generations may live in a clean, resourceful, balanced, and self-sustaining “Planet”.

Not only was our vision and philosophy linked to commercial projects and generating revenue, but there is also a higher purpose to what we do with our skillset. That said, we create and/or take on projects and/or fund projects that reflect our commitment voluntarily. These usually are set against the UN SDG goals. 

Climatize’s operations are built on sustainable innovative policies addressing attaining zero carbon operations, strict zero paper waste policy, consciousness to energy and water consumption, our employee’s empowerment and health and wellbeing, among others.

Today, Climatize became a multi-award establishment and is considered amongst the region’s elite to address zero carbon and zero energy projects in the MENA region– delivering a series of first of their kind projects in the areas of commercial and data center projects. To us, sustainability isn’t just about attaining labels, it’s a continuous work in motion translated to positive impact results.

Q: Please tell us about some of your spotlight projects that showcase Climatize’s sustainability, innovation and environment-forward services?

A: Climatize is currently engaged in several high-end projects primarily in the UAE and KSA. We are working on the “The Link” project which consists of 5 buildings, each attaining 4 pearl Estidama certification, WELL gold certification, 2 LEED Platinum and 3 LEED Gold certifications along with hosting the first LEED park smart silver project in the Middle East. 

In addition, it will also host the first zero-energy co-working/co-living building in the Middle East located in Masdar city. The Climatize’s team was involved with the projects designers and engineers and undertook several sustainable design guidance tasks such as parametric modeling that informed the façade’s design based on key environmental attributes such as solar heat gains, daylighting and views to generate an optimized and efficient functional façade. 

We are also working on 3 LEED Platinum/ Zero Energy and Carbon hyper-scale data-centers in Neom, KSA driving informative decisions based on whole building life cycle analysis, energy modelling, zero water and near-zero waste strategies.

In addition to a LEED Gold luxury hotel resort in KSA, a high-end yacht club in the Red Sea Development, KSA, Port De La Mer Phase 1 and 3 sustainable construction in Dubai, UAE, amongst others.  

Q: You were among the first in the industry to deliver projects catering to the Estidama rating after its launch in 2010. Over the last decade, business leaders and project owners/ managers have become more aware of the need for sustainable development, especially after the pandemic. Has there been a bigger sense of acceptance of the rating system over the last few years?

A: Absolutely. We have come a long way. I recall when working on these first Estidama rating projects and being asked to define what sustainability is or having to hold multiple sessions to explain implementation procedures and working relentlessly to fight old and inefficient construction habits. Today, we find almost all owners, governments, managers, and other stakeholders fighting in the race to achieve the highest forms of sustainable design, construction and operations. 

The market has matured from barely any sustainable and certified materials to an endless volume of suppliers submitting Environmental Product Declarations to demonstrate their sustainable and innovative products. This does not only apply to new construction projects, but we now see awareness and requests from existing building owners and developers to revamp their projects and ensure their utmost efficient performance.

Q: Tell us about your favorite city and book of all time and why?

A: I would have to say the city of Takayama in Japan is on top of my list. It’s a small city located along with Japan’s mountainous Gifu Prefecture. Its urban fabric consists of local, authentic, and historic buildings, markets, and museums. The people are quite modest, inviting, and helpful. It has a unique culture, beautiful landscapes, culinary delights, and stunning seasons celebrated with festivals that have been running for hundreds of years. It is a collection of narrow lanes, lined with beautifully preserved merchant houses so it literally feels like taking a step back to the old Japanese era.

Deemed cultural artefacts, the houses are breathtaking. The city also features “ryokans”, traditional wooden Japanese inns that have existed since the eighth century. They are made of thatch-roof with wooden structures. They are the only examples of their kind in Japan and might I say it is one of the few low carbon cities to date.

What I also like about it is that no private/ public transportation is needed to get around the city as everything is very walkable and easy to see in just one day, yet it imprints on you that you’d like to spend a lifetime there. You would really get submerged in a sense of serenity and connection to nature. Besides that, it also offers a gateway to hiking, walking routes, and other activities so it’s a win-win destination.

As for my favorite book, it’s got to be “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. The book itself can be described as a metaphor for life. It is a fictional novel based around the story of a shepherd boy who dreams about a treasure and sets a journey to find it; however, the book’s main idea is actually to find one’s identity. It reflects a conclusion that one should just not give up on their goals despite the challenges and obstacles that may arise along the way and that one should always look beyond what the eye could see. Our destiny is not always what it seems to us, sometimes we are just too concerned with things happening around us and forget what’s important to live in true peace. The story surely had a great impact on me, as it kept revolving around my mind in terms of its literature or spiritual appeal and it definitely impacted my thoughts and behavior to date.