Prince Hassan inaugurates ‘first ever comprehensive green building’ in Jordan

AMMAN — HRH Prince Hassan on Monday inaugurated the newly renovated Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST), Jordan’s “first ever comprehensive green building”, in the presence of HRH Princess Sumaya, President of the Royal Scientific Society, and several high ranking officials.

Started in early 2015, the building renovation included using solar energy technologies to generate electricity, employing geothermal energy in the heating, cooling and water heating processes in the building, enhancing thermal insulation and using energy-saving LED bulbs.

Prince Hassan, who is the chairman of the HCST, said that the green building serves three purposes: it helps in reducing trash, pollution and degradation of the environment; it uses energy, water and other natural resources efficiently; and it contributes to protecting the health of occupants of the building, therefore increasing their productivity.

“In the same way as we enable citizens to become empowered and productive, we enable our infrastructure to be productive,” Prince Hassan noted.

HCST Secretary General Khaled Shuraydeh said that the renovation of the building, which was established back in 1990, was a project conducted under the EU - funded Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Demonstration Programme (REEED) to test renewable energy technologies’ efficiency in office buildings.

The project aims at reducing the total energy bill of the HCST by minimising its environmental footprint, improving its functionality and level of comfort for better employee productivity, in addition to enhancing the life span and aesthetics of the building, Shuraydeh said at the launching ceremony, which was attended by Prime Minister Hani Mulki and several ministers.

“I can proudly say that the HCST building is the first comprehensive eco/green building in both the private and public sectors,” Shuraydeh said.

The building will be open as a showcase for scholars, researchers, engineers and builders to assess the technical feasibility of renewable energy technologies in commercial and office buildings and their economic efficiency, he underlined.

“Moreover, the HCST and the Royal Scientific Society will endeavour to conduct a comprehensive study to assess the technical and economic feasibility of duplicating this project for all existing government buildings on one hand, and to provide for the required geothermal energy infrastructure in newly-built buildings…[on the other],” Shuraydeh announced at the event.

The project was funded with a 750,000-euro grant from the REEED programme, which is financially supported by the European Union and administered by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, according to Shuraydeh, who noted that the project is also partially funded with JD110,000 from the Gulf grant and administered by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation as well as a JD75,000-grant from the Jordan Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fund.  

EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Fontana voiced his appreciation of the cooperation between the council and the EU, expressing hope for further cooperation in the future.

The opening ceremony saw the attendance of a number of ministers, Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh, and the mayors of the municipalities of Karak, Tafileh, Maan, Madaba, Salt, Jerash, Irbid and Mafraq.