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Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has inaugurated on Friday the new headquarters of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) in the Al Jaddaf area, touting the building as "the tallest, largest and smartest net positive government building in the world".

The building, called “Al Sheraa”  (Arabic for sail), features 110,000 smart sensors, more than 1,500 wireless access points, and 3,200 network devices, generating over 1.9 million automated control commands daily. The building has an electricity generation capacity of 5 megawatts distributed across two main photovoltaic panel systems.

Sheikh Mohammed, who is also UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, called the new building "a global architectural icon", saying that it "embodies Dubai’s leadership in innovation and sustainability—and an inspiring model for sustainability, energy efficiency, and the use of technology in service of humanity".

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In 2020, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dewa said Al-Sheraa's built-up area is over two million square feet. The building has 15 floors, a basement and 5 floors of car parking. The building can house 5,000 people. Facilities in the building will include a 500-people auditorium, training halls, a creativity centre, an exhibition hall, a nursery for the children of female employees, and a gym, among others.

The building has over 20,000 square metres of photovoltaic solar panels rated to over 4,000 kilowatts. There will be 1,000 square metres of Building Integrated Photovoltaics. The building will generate over 6,500 megawatt hours (MWh) a year of renewable energy.

In 2020, Dewa awarded the first phase of construction, worth Dh46 million, to Dutco Balfour Beatty. It awarded the construction contract of the second phase to a consortium comprising Ghantoot Transport & General Contracting and Ghantoot Gulf Contracting. The building's construction total cost is Dh1.2 billion, including the installation of solar and smart systems.

Watch the following video and photos from the inauguration ceremony, shared by Sheikh Mohammed:

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