Dubai Internet City Becomes First in Region to Provide ‘Green Office’ to Business Partners

ICT Cluster Develops Programme to Create Environment-Friendly Offices with TECOM Investments’ SEED Division.

Dubai-UAE: 17 April, 2011 – The region’s first ‘green office’ has opened in Dubai Internet City (DIC), offering a resource-efficient, healthy and productive location at the ‘Firststeps@DIC’ Business Centre, announced the ICT Cluster today. Firststeps@DIC is a unique facility within DIC that allows companies to lease short-term office space while exploring business and market opportunities.

Dubai Internet City (DIC), a member of TECOM Investments, developed the ‘Green Office’ programme in partnership with TECOM Investments’ Sustainable Energy and Environment Division (SEED). Focusing on attributes relevant to the local environment, the programme is an inside-out approach to making buildings sustainable over a period of time.

Although the green concept initially kicked off with the ‘Firststeps@DIC’ Business Centre, the programme is open for implementation to all offices within TECOM Investments’ business parks.

Majed Al Suwaidi, Director – Business Development at Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone, said: “Green offices and technologies are becoming relevant today as organisations want to become socially responsible while simultaneously contributing to the society. The community will also benefit from such a step as it makes the environment healthy and productive for its employees.

“The Green Office incorporates several key features and conforms to all the standards mandated for such a facility. We are confident our business partners will also be encouraged to make their environment more eco-friendly. DIC will look into further developing more green offices around the zone with the support of its partners.”

Efficient use of daylight and artificial lighting to minimize energy costs, sufficient controls of air conditioning, low VOC (volatile organic compounds) carpets, paints, adhesives and furniture, as well as the responsible management of construction waste constitute some of the measures identified to make offices more environment-friendly at DIC. To enhance the creation of a healthy and productive environment, DIC has provided office equipment that is energy star labelled.

Sougata Nandi, Executive Director of Asset Management and Sustainable Development, said: “TECOM has delivered four LEED-certified buildings in the past two years. The Green Office programme focuses on offices and makes buildings sustainable at the micro-level in a practical way that is relevant to the region and easy to adopt.”

At the forefront of the region’s ICT industry, Dubai Internet City remains committed to supporting emerging technology trends in the region and continues to play an instrumental role in developing the industry while contributing to Dubai’s drive for creating a knowledge-based economy.

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About Dubai Internet CityDubai Internet City (DIC), a member of TECOM Investments, was established in 2000. It is currently regarded the Middle East’s largest information and communications technology (ICT) cluster. Built as a strategic base for companies targeting emerging markets in several neighbouring regions, DIC’s core focus area extends from the Middle East to the Indian Subcontinent, and from Africa to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), covering nearly three billion people with a GDP of over US$10 trillion. As a knowledge-oriented business model, DIC has created a dynamic international community of IT companies hosting business partners that include most of the Fortune 500 brands, as well as a number of small and medium enterprises and ventures. In 2009, 135 new companies joined the DIC cluster. For more information, please visit: www.dubaiinternetcity.com

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