Siemens LEED Platinum Middle East hub opened at Masdar City

Siemens has inaugurated its new Middle East headquarters at Masdar City – Abu Dhabi’s low-carbon, low-waste sustainable eco-city and it's being seen as a pivotal turning point in the city’s growth and the beginning of a wave of high-profile corporate tenants.

The structure is the first LEED Platinum building in the region and is designed to significantly reduce energy usage both.

Siemens and Masdar agreed before construction that the building should not cost more than an average office building of its size which has been achieved by cutting water and energy use by 50 per cent compared to conventional office buildings in the region.

The Siemens building hosts an array of sustainable design features including a highly insulated, airtight inner facade designed to reduce solar conductivity, and a lightweight aluminum external shading system which minimises solar gain while maximising daylight and views from the building.

The 130,000-square-foot space will house 800 employees for an initial 10-year lease and .

In addition to Siemens, Masdar City will also welcome a collection of companies to the complex this year – starting with General Electric. GE’s first-of-its-kind Ecomagination Center opened its doors last week.

More than 100 companies have already registered in the Masdar City free zone and will join GE in the Incubator building over the coming months. Some of the most notable tenants include Mitsubishi and Schneider Electric, along with a number of regional and international startups.