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News

BEEAH Group Officially Opens Ground-breaking New Headquarters, Unveiling the ‘Office of the Future’

Designed by Zaha Hadid and the team at Zaha Hadid Architects to be integrated with next generation technologies, the building is set to realise net-zero emissions and achieve a new standard for employee convenience and collaboration

Sharjah, UAE (March 31, 2022): The BEEAH Headquarters in Sharjah, UAE, was opened on Wednesday, March 30 by His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah and UAE Supreme Council Member, setting a new benchmark for future workplaces.

Powered by its solar array and equipped with next-generation technologies, the new headquarters has been designed by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) to achieve net-zero emissions and will be the group’s management and administrative centre.

With their twin-pillared strategy of sustainability and digitalisation, BEEAH Group works across six key industries that include waste management and recycling, clean energy, environmental consulting, education and green mobility.

The new headquarters is the latest achievement for BEEAH as it continues to pioneer new innovations for Sharjah, reaffirming its position as sustainability capital of the Middle East. Additionally, the Headquarters serves as a base of operations for BEEAH to strengthen its existing businesses, diversify into new, future-critical industries and expand its presence in the UAE, across the Middle East and globally. Through the Headquarters, BEEAH Group is demonstrating how technology can scale sustainable impact, ultimately serving as a blueprint for tomorrow’s smart, sustainable cities.

Embodying these principles and embedded within its context of Sharjah’s Al Sajaa desert, ZHA’s design responds to its environment as a series of interconnecting ‘dunes’ orientated and shaped to optimize local climatic conditions; echoing the surrounding landscape of sand dunes shaped by prevailing winds into concave dunes and ridges that become convex when they intersect.

The design ensures all internal spaces are provided with ample daylight and views while limiting the quantity of glazing exposed to the harsh sun. Its two primary ‘dunes’ house the public and management departments together with the administrative zone that interconnect via a central courtyard, defining an oasis within the building which is integral to its natural ventilation strategy.

Visitors enter beneath the 15-metre high dome which further enhances natural ventilation and allows passive daylight to enter the building. In addition to the central courtyard and open-plan office, the headquarters incorporates smart meeting rooms, an immersive visitors centre and a state-of-the art auditorium,.

The BEEAH Headquarters has sustainability at its core with a high percentage of locally procured materials and is equipped with future-ready technologies to enable operations at LEED Platinum standards with net-zero emissions and minimal energy consumption.

Glass reinforced fibre panels reduce solar gain while slab and glass cooling regulate interior temperatures for optimum comfort. On-site water treatment filtrates waste water to minimise consumption and its solar farm charges Tesla battery packs to meet the building’s energy demand throughout each day and night.

The employee experience includes contactless pathways, a virtual concierge, smart meeting rooms and a companion app that automates day-to-day tasks. The building’s smart management system automatically adjusts lighting and temperature depending on occupancy and time of day. The rooms are also equipped for remote and hybrid work scenarios with powerful collaboration tools.

A manifestation of their twin-pillared strategy of sustainability and digitalisation, the new headquarters by ZHA is an important milestone for BEEAH Group, signalling its growth from a company founded to proactively tackle environmental issues in Sharjah, UAE, to an international group with businesses in industries that are critical to realising a sustainable future. ZHA delivered the BEEAH Headquarters in collaboration with sustainability engineers and consultants Atelier Ten and Buro Happold, project managers Matthews Southwest, construction contractor Al Futtaim Construction, MEP engineers Al Futtaim Engineering. Smart building technologies by Microsoft, Johnson Controls and EVOTEQ, a BEEAH Digital venture.

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Photograph by Hufton+Crow