Another green achievement by UAE : The Dubai civic body?s first commercial green building – Al Fahidi Market – which is expected to open its doors to the public in the next few months, will save a total of 45 per cent of energy per day due to its policy of power saving and re-use of energy sources.

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The green building code as set by Dubai Municipality has 79 eco-friendly regulations, out of which Al Fahidi Market has adopted 67 and applies each of them to their full capacity.

The building consists of a basement, ground floor and first floor and is expected to cater to 232 shops, 15 cafeterias and 32 kiosks, in addition to other public services such as toilets, children?s play areas and prayer rooms. Out of the 309 parking spaces, five per cent will be allocated solely to hybrid cars. As part of Dubai?s  initiative to promote sustainability, Dubai is not only promoting the use of bicycles but hybrid cars as well. Once visitors see the allocated parking spaces, it will spark their interest in learning more about the energy-saving cars and encourage them to use these.

The structure of Al Fahidi Market conforms to Dubai?s Green Building Regulation and was framed to save water and energy resources. By setting up solar panels on its roof and using solar water heating systems, the building is able to save as much as 45 per cent in energy and 20 per cent of water on a daily basis. ?The glass façade has been used to a minimum and only for aesthetic purposes but that in turn will be used as a skylight so that natural light will be used throughout the day,? said the official.

Water heaters will not be used, as hot and cold water can be accessed through the 33 solar water heaters that can reach temperatures between 70 and 90 degrees Celsius, and keep the water hot overnight, particularly during the summer.

Each solar water heater has a total capacity of 300 litres, with each saving 256 kilowatts – an equivalent of saving 72 per cent of total energy per day.

During winter, the solar water heating system will heat the water during the day. It is also equipped with electrical heating elements, a backup system, to heat water during the night.

Although the building does not recycle water, it uses a system to reuse the collected condensate water from air-conditioning units that is connected to a holding tank, and then to a booster pump, in order to use the water supply for toilets? flushes.

One of the market?s unique functions is its Fresh Air Handling Unit (FAHU) and Air Handling Unit (AHU), which recovers between 30 and 40 per cent of energy through its speed motors and heat wheel energy recovery system.

Through using this technology, they were able to bring fresh air throughout the parking lot and the market itself without consuming a lot of energy.