Schneider Electric
Setting a new benchmark for smart, sustainable and inclusive workplaces.
Schneider Electric's new 10,000m2 flagship office in Dubai, known as ‘The NEST,’ brings together a dynamic workplace, hands-on training facilities, and the company’s first Innovation Hub in the UAE. This immersive hub allows visitors to explore Schneider’s technologies across diverse environment - from offices and homes to data centres and beyond. With a Platinum SmartScore certification already achieved, and LEED ID+C Platinum and WELL Equity certifications in progress, The NEST is set to become a regional benchmark for smart, sustainable, and inclusive spaces.
A standout feature of the fit-out is the Innovation Hub itself, a complex, AV/IT-intensive space designed to showcase Schneider’s latest technologies. It includes a fully functional data centre on display, presenting unique engineering challenges. High internal heat gains and infrequent operating hours required a carefully considered cooling strategy, ensuring thermal comfort and system resilience without compromising energy efficiency. Electrically, the project demanded a robust and intelligent infrastructure to meet Schneider Electric’s high-performance standards. A fully redundant power supply was provided for the data centre, with dual UPS-backed paths and emergency backup to ensure uninterrupted operation. The building’s advanced Building Management System (BMS) acts as a central ‘brain,’ seamlessly controlling and monitoring all major systems - all of which are on digital display within the Innovation Hub. This includes real-time power consumption tracking, intelligent lighting and HVAC automation, occupancy sensing, and people-count analytics - ensuring that both energy and space are optimised without compromising user comfort. Sustainability, connectivity and user experience were at the heart of this project, with a projected 37% reduction in energy use and up to 572 metric tons of CO₂ savings.
From the outset, our multi-discipline engineering team set out to push the boundaries of sustainability and smart technology, delivering engineering solutions that were not only innovative and efficient, but also tailored to reflect the unique identity of the client. Close collaboration with Schneider Electric, Gensler, and JLL was key to bringing their vision to life, resulting in an inclusive, future-ready workplace that supports both their people, their clients, and the environment.
This is an incredibly exciting project to have been part of that highlights our ability to deliver high-performance engineering solutions in complex environments.
