City Centre Almaza is a commercial center in Cairo completed in 2019, built and operated by Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Sustainability is at the forefront of the center’s design. The idea is for Almaza to reach for the highest levels of community relevance in public space design, retail provision, leisure and entertainment.
Integrated design charrettes were conducted right from the start, with project meetings incorporating the sustainability agenda occurring regularly and as an integral part of the design criteria. Wide-ranging stakeholder consultations also took place to inform the development of the design, incorporating both internal remarks of the owner as well as external of the community and potential users.
Materials were selected for having recognized Environmental Product Declarations (EDPs) and other Environmental Impact Credentials such as ISO 14001 certification for manufacturers processes. For waste management, the project achieved 89% waste diversion during construction and a waste management plan was detailed for the operation phase to ensure recycling continues during operation. The project was made up from 49% regionally sourced material and 31% recycled material in construction. Over 100 local subcontractors were employed to carry out the design and construction. The potable water use has been reduced by 47% in line with Majid Al Futtaim’s Net Positive Water commitment. The building generates 139 million kWh per year from renewable energy sources.