A shared ambition of sustainability

Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and solutions which are key ingredients in the well-being of each of us and the future of all. They can be found everywhere in our living places and our daily life: in buildings, transportation, infrastructure and in many industrial applications.

They provide comfort, performance and safety while addressing the challenges of sustainable construction, resource efficiency and climate change.

The solid track record and diversified product portfolio of regionally produced such as Gyproc drywall and celling systems, Weber industrial mortars, Kimmco-Isover mineral wool insulation solutions) and imported items (High Performance Glass, Dynamic Glass and other specialty products) allows Saint-Gobain to provide solutions and materials that are both innovative and sustainable.

Not only can its products help decrease electricity consumption for temperature control, its manufacturing facilities are spread throughout the region, reducing the carbon footprint from the transportation of building material.

Saint-Gobain share with Masdar City the common ambition to transform the construction market and advocate for a smarter, more accessible and increasingly sustainable habitat. Hence Masdar City, home of the largest cluster of sustainable buildings in the region, was a natural location for the first Multi Comfort House in the Middle East. The 400 m² building designed by the German architecture/engineering firm Obermeyer, will be built on a 2,200-square-metre site next to the Masdar City Eco-Villa and will be fully adapted to the UAE climate.

On completion, it will serve as both a Multi Comfort “Experience Center” and an office for Saint-Gobain employees, while also providing training in the company’s products and solutions. Saint-Gobain first developed the concept of Multi Comfort construction in 2004 and the first Multi Comfort House was built in 2011 in France.

This concept is based around the four dimensions of comfort: thermal, visual, air quality and acoustic within any type of living space: home as well as tertiary buildings such as shops, offices and public buildings. The building will use the latest Saint-Gobain innovations and solutions such as Saint-Gobain’s high performance glass and internal glass solutions, Sageglass dynamic glass,  Webers ETICS systems, flooring, tile, external waterproofing systems, Vetrotech’s internal fire-rated glass, Ecophon’s acoustic panels and as well as Gyproc lightweight facades, acoustic ceilings and partition walls.

Materials conform to the highest standards of hazardous waste material elimination; non-pollution standards as well as being locally sourced. From steel to drywall to carpet, many products will contain post-consumer and/or post-industrial recycled materials in line with Masdar City KPI’s. The LEED v4 Gold and Estidama 4 Pearls rating will be achieved with attention to both interior and exterior design elements.

Saint-Gobain’s regional leadership role in promoting sustainable development is reinforced though its membership in the Emirates Green Building Council (EmGBC), where it is represented on the board of directors. Saint-Gobain is part of the Emirates Coalition for Green Schools, an initiative which aims to create enhanced comfort and sustainability in schools and demonstrate improved educational outcomes when the acoustics, indoor air quality, lighting and temperature in scholastic buildings are well-regulated.

Founded in 2013 by the Center for Green Schools at the US Green Building Council, in partnership with the World Green Building Council, the Emirates Coalition aims to equip communities with the resources and support to transform their schools.

Saint-Gobain is now leading roundtable discussions on the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in UAE schools and is looking for opportunities to test, measure and enhance the indoor air environment in schools built before green building regulations.

* Masdar News: https://news.masdar.ae/en/news/2019/05/12/09/57/a-shared-ambition-of-sus…