KEO International Consul-tants’ design for the 40-storey Sabah Al Ahmad International Financial Center  in Kuwait has been pre-certified by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) to get Kuwait’s first LEED certification.

"The client, Securities House for Real Estate and the developer Al Shaab Real Estate called upon our services to pursue a sustainable design using guidelines and tools in the Green Building rating system," says a spokesman for the consultancy.
In addition to creating an iconic tower consisting primarily of high-end offices and a hotel, KEO’s task was to achieve a LEED Gold rating under the core and shell rating system from the USGBC. "Besides meeting or exceeding a series of green requirements, the tower employs a series of wind turbines and PV (photovoltaic) panels to provide a renewable source of energy," says the spokesman.
The design solution translates the client’s brief for various programmes into four stacked courtyard atria ranging from eight floors to 13 floors each. Three of them feature office floors while one accommodates a four-star, 200-room business hotel. A 800 sq m trading hall on the ground floor will allow 24-hour trading for the facility. The sculptural shape of the tower induces wind at the top of the building where wind turbines are specially positioned to generate power for the building.