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Organized by MEED business intelligence, the Saudi Green Building Forum was held from 13 - 15 October at Kingdom Tower, Four Seasons Hotel, Riyadh, under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Mansour Bin Miteb Bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipalities and Rural Affairs. Incorporating the three P’s - people, planet, and profit, the annual forum promoted the development of green building initiatives in Saudi Arabia.

As part of its role as Gold Sponsor, Schneider Electric, a Zayed Future Energy Prize winner, delivered a strong message to enhance efforts in sustainable development. Eng. Ahmed Al Rashood, Vice-President of Corporate Strategy, Business Development and Energy Management Solutions, Schneider Electric - Saudi Arabia, delivered a keynote speech at the forum titled, ‘Transforming cities into smart cities through green building’.

Al Rashood said: “At Schneider Electric, we are contributing to the green movement with a practical holistic view. Saudi Arabia is investing significantly in the development of smart infrastructure across the nation. Our mission as a socially responsible company is to ensure that we offer unique solutions that optimize the cities of the future. The smart city and green buildings will play a decisive role in ensuring a sustainable energy future as cities continue to grow at unprecedented rates.”

Building upon Schneider Electric’s regional accomplishments including the SABIC R&D Centre in Riyadh Techno valley, the demand for the company’s solutions for both new and existing buildings is set to grow, with various high profile solutions already delivered around the world including the TNT Centre in Hoofddorp, Netherland (Net Zero – Leed Platinum), and The Hive – Schneider Electric’s French HQ and the first building in the world to be awarded ISO 50001.

Evaluating the business opportunity, Al Rashood, added: “Our green building revenue has grown 40 per cent year on year, while we aim for 30 per cent rise in 2013. The goal is in line with the steady shift in the way green buildings are viewed from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a ‘must-to-have’ attitude among hotels, hospitals, malls, and university operators. We are also directing substantial resources towards raising awareness amid the community.”

With advancement in technology and cost optimization of components necessary for green building solutions, ROI has become more attractive than ever before with 3-7 years a viable possibility, based on investment and the involvement of green solutions at the design phase.

Initiatives such as the Saudi Green Building Forum are becoming increasingly important in the region. As the global leader in energy management, Schneider Electric has a proven record for modern cities projects and green buildings, and is one of the lead solution providers for the on-going Information Technology and Communication Complex (ITCC), and the King Saud University Endowment projects.