• Developer of the Year: Majid Al Futtaim
• Green Hotel of the Year: Hilton Garden Inn Dubai, Mall of the Emirates
• Al Zahia (Phase Two), My City Centre Al Barsha, and City Centre Mirdif were among shortlisted projects

United Arab Emirates, 23 May 2017:  Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, celebrated big wins at the fifth annual 2017 MENA Green Building Awards. Supported by the WorldGBC, and organised in partnership with the JordanGBC and LebanonGBC; the MENA Green Building Awards 2017 saw two accolades awarded to Majid Al Futtaim. 

Majid Al Futtaim was recognized as ‘Developer of the Year’, underpinning the company’s achievements and ongoing commitment to sustainable development and green building practices. Earlier this year, Majid Al Futtaim launched their Net Positive strategy that aims to significantly reduce the company’s water consumption and carbon emissions to the extent that it puts more back into the environment than it takes out, resulting in a positive corporate footprint by 2040.

In addition, Majid Al Futtaim also took home the award for ‘Green Hotel of the Year’ for the Hilton Garden Inn Dubai, Mall of the Emirates, the second largest Hilton Garden Inn in the world and the largest outside of America. The hotel, a LEED Gold project with the highest LEED certification points achieved for any hotel property in the UAE was designed, constructed and opened for business as planned in an impressive 18 months. All aspects of the project - from design to development and construction were underpinned by sustainability - from locally produced, recyclable building materials and use of solar thermal collectors for hot water; to best management practices in dust control, noise pollution to uphold quality and ensure the highest health, safety and sustainability standards.

Robert Welanetz, Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Properties, commented: “We are proud to receive two prestigious wins at the MENA Green Building Awards 2017. The awards are not only a testament to Majid Al Futtaim’s key achievements in sustainability, but also solidify the company’s positioning as a community leader working to support the government’s vision and development priorities. We will continue to invest in our existing assets and new developments to deliver world-class green buildings that set a new benchmark for sustainability standards in the region and worldwide.”

Al Zahia, the first mixed-use development in the Middle East to be awarded the BREEAM Communities Interim Assessment certificate, was shortlisted for the ‘Green Residential of the Year’ award for work achieved in the second phase of the project. City Centre Barsha and City Centre Mirdiff were among the shortlisted entries for the categories of ‘Green Commercial Building of the Year’, and ‘Best Operations & Maintenance, Existing Buildings’ respectively. 

Ibrahim Al-Zu'bi, Head of Sustainability at Majid Al Futtaim - Holding said: “Majid Al Futtaim believes in a sustainable future and consistently strives to deliver on this vision. This year we set down an ambitious target to become Net Positive in Carbon and water, which will help us address local and global challenges in the region and continue to establish best practices for sustainability within the region and globally. We have now passed the midway point of our five-year sustainability strategy and will continue to drive positive impact on the environment and surrounding communities.”

Majid Al Futtaim became one of the first companies in the MENA region to publicly commit to investing in renewable energy. In 2016, the company announced its plans to use solar photovoltaic technology to generate at least 5 percent of its total energy consumption at existing developments by 2018, and source a minimum of 7.5 percent of its energy consumption at all new developments from solar energy. In the last three years, Majid Al Futtaim has reduced energy consumption by 9 percent across the 12 hotels in its portfolio. It expects to save a further AED3 million by installing LED lighting at the 21 shopping malls that it manages across the region.