Eight infrastructure projects across Expo 2020 Dubai have been awarded the highest rating under Ceequal, the internationally recognised sustainability assessment for civil engineering.

Ratings range from a ‘Pass’ at 30 per cent to ‘Excellent’ at 75 per cent, assessed across a range of sustainability issues, including land use, ecology, transport, resilience and pollution.

Expo 2020 is the first project in the Middle East to receive an ‘Excellent’ Ceequal rating.

The beating heart of Expo 2020, connecting all three thematic districts and acting as a meeting place in a shaded microclimate unlike anywhere in Dubai, Al Wasl Plaza exceeded the award’s highest threshold, with a 91.6 per cent score.

The trellis and steelwork of the 130-metre by 67.5-metre Al Wasl dome, which encircles the plaza and creates the largest 360-degree projection surface in the world, scored even higher, at 93.6 per cent.

One of the largest rosters of awards given by Ceequal on a single site globally, Expo 2020’s ‘Excellent’ certificates represent the highest industry recognition for civil engineering and highlight how the event has incorporated sustainable design principles across its buildings, infrastructure and landscaping.

Developed by the UK-based Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the wider industry, Ceequal was launched in 2004.

It is now part of the Breeam family of schemes within BRE Global, bringing together the world’s leading sustainability assessment methods for buildings, master planning and infrastructure across the built asset lifecycle.

Ahmed Al Khatib, chief development and delivery officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “As one of our three key subthemes, sustainability impacts the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the communities where we live and represents our commitment to have a positive impact on a local, national, regional and global scale.”

From October 1st to March 31st, 2022, Expo 2020 Dubai will invite visitors from every corner of the globe to join the making of a new world, as they discover life-changing innovations that will have a meaningful, positive impact on people and planet.