Sin El Fil, Lebanon

ACE Headquarters

As one of Middle East’s leading consulting design engineers, ACE has taken on the challenge of constructing a LEED accredited building, leading the way by example to demonstrate its commitment to save and protect the environment and provide its occupants with health and comfort.
ACE has committed to creating a green building for our HQ in support of maximising efficiency, productivity, and comfort of all occupants. The ACE Headquarters is a commercial type building for office use located in Sin El Fil, Cardinal El Sayegh Street, Lebanon. The building was designed to achieve LEED Gold certification using the latest technologies for reduced electricity and energy consumption and utility savings.

Project info

Construction phase
New construction
Building type
Non-residential building
Detailed building type
Office
Net floor area
5384.82 m2
Land plot size
20882 m2
Stories
7 stories
Construction type
Mixed construction
Original construction year of the building
2012
Project contact
Elie Safi
Contact email address
elie.safi@ace-intl.com

Project team

Developer(s)/owner(s)
ACE/Mr. Hani Hakim
Architect(s)
Elie Safi
Construction contractor(s)
Jesco for Concrete, Bifem Paralu for curtain walls, Elcir for wood, Carlisle for Water proofing systems, Mitsulift for conveying systems and ACE for remaining works.
Energy efficiency consultant(s)
ACE
HVAC consultant(s)
Khater Engineering
Building services
Offices for engineering firm and related amenities
Additional information
More about the PV system described below: green roof plus solar water heaters; whole roof cannot be utilised for photovoltaic panels; 18.48 KW of PV energy installed on the roof; PV panel used gives around 140 Watts and has an area of 1 m2. Inclination angle & shading factors considered

Building Rating and Certifications systems

Rating and certifications systems
LEED

Building Envelope

External walls

Description of construction
Concrete walls - Steel Framed, 300mm thickness, Absorptivity: 0.675.
U-Value
1.945 W/(m²*K)

Roof

Roof type
Concrete ceiling with hollow blocks
Description of construction
Total 475mm thick. HW concrete 360mm, Cement Plaster 10mm, Vapor barrier 5mm, Polyiso insulation 40mm, and top tiles 40mm. Absorptivity: 0.7
U-Value
0.458 W/(m²*K)

Openings and windows

Glazing type
Double glazed
U-Value glass
1.9 W/(m²*K)
G-Value glass
0.3
Frame material / description
Aluminum frame
U-Value frame
2.77 W/(m²*K)
Overall u-value window
2.37 W/(m²*K)
Description of construction
Concealed structure Aluminum curtain wall system.

Basement floor

Description of construction
Concrete retaining peripheral walls 300mm thick with epoxy paint over exposed concrete and low VOC paint over fairface concrete wall finish.
U-Value
1.611 W/(m²*K)

Technical Building Systems

Ventilation system

Type of ventilation
Fans
Description
Exhaust fans for restrooms and Mechanical ventilation for Basements
Manufacturer(s) / products
Systemair / Parking fans, Fresh air fans for technical rooms in basements, Exhaust fans for restrooms.

Space cooling system

Primary space cooling system
VRV System / FAHU+CU
Description
VRV System / FAHU+CU cooling systems for open space offices, offices and general areas.
Manufacturer(s) / products
Hitachi/ VRV system and CIAT, Lenox for FAHU+CU
Secondary space cooling system
Mounted single-split or window air conditioner│Usually a visible smaller system mounted outside the wall or above the window just supplying one room
Description
mini Split units cooling for technical rooms (UPS room, Battery room, Server Room)
Manufacturer(s) / products
McQuay/ Split units

Space heating system

Primary Space heating system
District heating
Description
VRV System / FAHU+CU heating systems for open space offices, offices and general areas.
Manufacturer(s) / products
Hitachi/ VRV system and CIAT, Lenox for FAHU+CU

Water heater system

Primary water heater system
Solar Thermal collector on the roof
Description
Vacuum tube solar system
Manufacturer(s) / products
SunRain/ Vacuum tube solar system
Secondary water heater system
Dedicated electric heater (dedicated = just hot water generation)
Description
6KW Electrical boiler.
Manufacturer(s) / products
ELBI / Electrical boiler

Lighting system

Primary lighting system
LED (Light emitting diode lamps)
Efficiency
100
Description
LED lighting downlights for general and office spaces lighting.
Manufacturer(s) / products
Zumtobel / LED fixtures.
Secondary lighting system
LED (Light emitting diode lamps)
Description
LED desk lighting fixtures for each office. LED lighting 3.2W consumption each.
Manufacturer(s) / products
PAN/ Desk Light 3.2W LED. Ref. TAV30024

Shading devices

Type of shading system installed
Manual systems (e.g. roller shutters, folding shutters, external blinds)
Description
Sun Shade curtains

Photovoltaics

Capacity
18 kWp
Description
The solar photovoltaic system supplies 8 KW and the rest of the energy is net metered back to the grid in a hybrid grid connect/stand alone system.
Manufacturer(s) / products
Mideast Power Systems (MPS)/ Solar Photovoltaic System

Final Energy Demand

Energy carrier (1)
Electricity
Annual heating demand
6.35 kWh/(m²*a)
Annual cooling demand
15.87 kWh/(m²*a)
Annual lighting demand
26.1 kWh/(m²*a)
Annual hot water demand
0.96 kWh/(m²*a)
Total specific final energy demand
92.33 kWh/(m²*a)

Financial Aspects

Project construction cost
6535982 EUR
Estimated costs of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures
653596 EUR
Certification costs
15000 EUR
Financing sources
Loan
Financing/funding institution
IBL Bank