UKEF Powers BEEAH Group’s groundbreaking green headquarters

UK Export Finance (UKEF) support was fundamental to the design and delivery of BEEAH Group’s head office in Sharjah, UAE.

In 2017, Zaha Hadid Architects secured the contract to design the complex, linked to a UKEF-supported transaction which allowed BEEAH Group, the leading UAE-based environmental and waste management company, to access attractive financing terms.

The late Dame Zaha Hadid – the world-renowned British-Iraqi architect – took inspiration from the surrounding Al Sajaa desert for the building’s unique design.

UKEF support remained key throughout construction, with new financing agreed in 2021 after the scope of building works grew.

This came in the form of UKEF’s first ever loan from its £2bn Clean-Growth Direct Lending Facility – with sustainable projects remaining a priority for UKEF.

The head office building is powered by low- and zero-carbon sources, including solar power and waste-to-energy systems, and the British design aimed to use natural light and temperature management systems, where possible.

The new financing helped BEEAH Group to increase procurement from the UK, with UK companies delivering around a third of this green building contract, from design through to engineering, construction and smart office services.

Supported by British architectural and construction expertise, BEEAH Group’s Headquarters opened in 2022 and became the first building in the UAE to be powered by renewable and recoverable energy sources.