Uncommissioned buildings are like untuned engines

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PETER CUMMINGS: It's more about good design.

Peter Cummings, WSP technical director and Leed-accredited consultant, talks about the application of sustainable rating systems in the GCC.

When did you become involved in sustainability?

I studied a master's degree in environmental design of buildings in the UK. When I was studying, sustainable design was all about passive solutions such as natural ventilation. Moving to the Middle East, however, that did not translate well for obvious reasons.

For the first three years in the region it was all about designing large district cooling plants and air conditioning systems and trying to make those as efficient as possible. There was not the drive behind sustainability that we have today.

What is the core of your business in the Middle East?

We are a large consultancy firm. We have sections that cover every element in a building. The only thing we don't really do is architecture but we work very closely with major architects and sometimes we are the Leed consultants on projects as well. We have just over 600 people now in the Middle East.

How are you personally involved?

I am involved in sustainability on a building level, mainly in the retail field. We have our environmental department which looks at sustainability on a master planning scale. When it comes down to sustainability in buildings however, and using the Leed ratings, that is what I do.

I was involved in the Mall of the Emirates and I'm involved in Mirdiff City Centre, which is a similar-sized development. With the advent of Leed and the drive towards sustainability, we are now applying ratings to all building types, so Mirdiff City Centre will be one of the first retail premises in the Middle East with a Leed rating.

How do sustainable retail buildings differ from sustainable residential of office buildings?

I'd say retail is a little more challenging, because of the amount of energy required. For example, look at restaurants. There is very intense demand for fresh air and for cooking. A lot of the systems must therefore be geared for specific uses.

Do the rating systems reflect this?

The rating systems that we use for retail are different to those we use for residential. The residential system can be used for new construction generally and offices, whereas for retail the system has evolved. Although we can encourage retail tenants to use sustainable design practices, we don't actually design for tenants.

With regards to residential, you have control over all of the MEP systems that you are putting into apartments so you have more flexibility. It's a different design challenge with retail. You have to allow for any tenant to be in any shop unit, so rather than having flexibility in your approach, you must be more flexible.

At what point in the process are Leed points awarded?

Leed points can only be achieved after construction, when the building is handed over. It is actually a two stage process. If you go for a design review after you have completed detailed design, the USGBC will review the credits and you will get a point anticipated or a point denied.

They are not actually awarded until the end of the project, when you must prove that you have built as you said you intended to in the design, or you must submit relevant information to show how the building has changed.

When we talk sustainability, the idea of commissioning crops up repeatedly. What does this entail?

Basically, commissioning is the process of setting up the systems that you have designed to make sure they work as you intend. For example, in an office, it may be ensuring that all the chilled water gets to the units that it has to and is not being wasted. A building that is not commissioned is like an un-tuned car engine. It is going to burn fuel inefficiently.

At what stage in the process should developers think about commissioning?

There are lots of designs out there that are difficult to commission. Any building rating system encourages a commissioning engineer to get involved in the project during design so that there will be checks on whether the design is commissionable.

So is sustainable building costly?

Sustainable buildings don't necessarily have to inflate the cost. It's about good design, selection of the correct materials, good commissioning and integration of the designs, which is something that Leed encourages.

If you follow the system you have to co-ordinate and discuss a lot more with the design team. There is more synergy. These things don't necessarily have cost increases attached. Other elements, such as good design, orientation, shading or natural light don't have to increase the cost at all.

So where does the additional cost lie?

Other elements such as renewable energy do have cost increases attached, but in the long run, renewable energy systems repay the initial outlay many times over.

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