Why ECOPact means the world in Dubai
Look at Earth from space these days, and you would see the world in outline, growing up in the sapphire waters of the Arabian Gulf, in the United Arab Emirates.
The incredible World Islands project is an archipelago of 300 artificial islands that are being built in the shape of a world map. First unveiled by May 2003 by HH Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai, “The World” is an unrivaled construction feat that is finally taking shape.
One of these islands - Zuhha Island, an ultra-luxurious beachfront community – is being developed using ECOPact concrete, with Holcim the only supplier to meet our client Zaya’s strict sustainability and logistics demands.
ECOPact reduced construction
emissions by 42%
Holcim alone met client’s
sustainability and logistical demands
One of the most exclusive
developments in the UAE
The Challenge
Zaya, a leader in high-end, boutique real estate development in the UAE, believes that luxury and sustainability can – and should – coexist.
For Zuhha Island, which covers over 230,000m2 and features a 2.5 km beachfront, this means using solar power to run generators, advanced sea water purification systems, and reusing drainage water for irrigation. Not to mention choosing the most sustainable building solutions to minimize embodied emissions during construction.
However, the island location posed significant logistical challenges to the delivery of building materials such as concrete. This led Zaya to turn to Holcim – for our ability to meet the project’s strict sustainability requirements and reliably deliver our solutions at speed and scale.
The Solution
To serve the project, Holcim has built a ready-mix plant on Zuhha Island with a capacity of 60m3 per hour with an ice plant capacity of 60 tons, and a water chiller to meet the required temperature of 30 degrees to mitigate the risk of thermal cracking. In Dubai’s extreme climate, effective temperature regulation is critical. Five transit mixers were used onsite, and an onsite lab was installed.
Throughout the project, Holcim will provide 80,000m3 of high-quality for this monumental project, 95% of which is ECOPact. Our team’s ability to manage these logistics and maintain uninterrupted operations was crucial to the project’s success.
© Zaya
The Result
By using ECOPact, Zaya was able to reduce construction-related CO2 emissions by 42%. Once completed, Zuhha Island will be home to a luxury resort and 29 exclusive residences with access to the ocean, and the Dubai city skyline as a backdrop. In addition to its other sustainability efforts, Zaya will also regenerate corals via a house reef, established near the island and maintained by in-house marine biologists.
"Building an island comes with its own challenges in sustainability — but we’ve embraced each one with the determination to go the extra mile for Dubai and the environment."
“We remain fully committed to delivering the highest-quality materials on schedule, ensuring the project progresses smoothly while also minimizing its environmental footprint.”
