The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on the Giza Pyramids plateau, was on 19 February 2024 awarded the EDGE Advanced Green Building Certification by World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC).
GEM is the world’s largest museum for Egyptian antiquities; it is undergoing the final touches following which it will be ready for a grand official opening by the end of this month, February 2024. So far, however, no date has been announced of the anticipated opening.
The recent award is the most recent in a list of awards and certificates won by GEM. In November, GEM was granted the Egyptian Green Pyramid Award by the “Environment and Development Forum: The Road to Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change Conference 27”. Touted as one of Egypt’s first green buildings and it’s first green museum, it was rated according to the Green Pyramid Rating System, a national environmental rating system for buildings, that provides definitive criteria by which the environmental credentials of buildings can be evaluated, and the buildings themselves accordingly rated.
The museum also won the Golden Certificate for Green and Sustainable Building granted by
Egypt’s National Centre for Housing and Building Research (NCHBR).
On its website, the IFC posted:
“On 19 February 2024, the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) awarded the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) with the EDGE Advanced Green Building Certification, making the museum the first in Africa and the Middle East, and one of a handful worldwide, to receive the certification.
“Supported by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the UK Government, the EDGE Advanced certification recognises the GEM’s resource efficient and climate-smart design and construction, which is helping the museum save more than 60 per cent in energy costs and reduce water use by 34 per cent compared to a conventional building of its type and size.
“The museum, which has a site area of half a million square metres, has taken sustainability measures including a reflective roof, external shading for thermal comfort, resource-efficient lighting, and water fixtures, in addition to the use of smart meters for energy consumption.
“These measures translate into energy savings equivalent to removing over 400 gasoline-powered vehicles from the streets of Cairo for one year, and water savings equivalent to 63.4 million litres of Nile River water annually.”
“The Grand Egyptian Museum received this prestigious award by IFC based on the building’s energy and water efficiency measures and its reduced carbon footprint,” said Major General Atef Moftah, the Grand Egyptian Museum’s General Manager. “These measures – and this certificate – reaffirms the museum’s commitment to sustainability, in alignment with Egypt’s 2030 Vision for clean energy.”
“The Grand Egyptian Museum going green – and becoming the first EDGE Advanced certified museum in Africa and the Middle East – is a powerful testament to Egypt’s growing commitment to sustainability,” said Cheick-Oumar Sylla, IFC’s Regional Director for North Africa and the Horn of Africa. “Building green is both resource-efficient and cost-effective. Now is the time to build more responsibly and support Egypt in its journey toward a lower-carbon future.”
GEM’s EDGE Advanced certification is part of IFC’s Green Building project, developed in partnership with the Government of Egypt’s Housing and Building National Research Center (HBRC), to enhance the green buildings ecosystem in Egypt and promote the certification of construction projects that foster cost-effective, resource-efficient design choices. The partnership focuses on increasing the public sector’s awareness of the economic case for certified green buildings, developing skills to implement green incentive schemes, and supporting the local development of green building stock.
“The Grand Egyptian Museum sets a new standard for sustainable construction in Africa,” said Mohamed Massoud, Chairman of the HBNRC, “demonstrating Egypt’s leadership in embracing environmentally responsible practices. This project showcases the power of collaboration between government, international organizations, and the private sector to advance sustainable building practices that benefit both the environment and the economy.”
Rania al-Mashat, Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation, said: “Today, the Grand Egyptian Museum stands to be a shining example of innovation and environmental stewardship as ‘an EDGE-certified green building’, an award highlighting the successful ongoing partnership between Egypt and the IFC in the Green Buildings Enhancement program. This is in line with the country’s commitment to promoting sustainable and green infrastructure and reflects the strategic partnership between Egypt and the IFC across diverse sectors within the Egypt – World Bank Group Country Partnership Framework 2023–2027.”
Since beginning its operations in Egypt, IFC has invested and mobilized approximately USD8 billion in investment projects and has an advisory portfolio amounting to USD26.8 million. IFC’s private sector support in Egypt focuses on the fintech, climate finance, manufacturing, infrastructure, renewable energy, healthcare, gender, and other sectors.
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. It works in more than 100 countries, using capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries.
An innovation of IFC, EDGE helps property developers to build and brand green in a fast, easy and affordable way. EDGE is supported by free software that offers up solutions to reduce energy, water, and the energy embodied in building materials by at least 20 per cent. EDGE certification is recognized by the major green finance standards and streamlines green debt reporting requirements. The simplicity and low cost of EDGE, plus its focus on quantifying emission reductions makes it invaluable to map and track a path to zero carbon. The programme has been generously supported by the donors: The United Kingdom, Austria, Canada, Denmark, ESMAP, EU, Finland, GEF, Hungary, Japan, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)
The Grand Egyptian Museum is a scholarly, cultural, and educational institution that is keen to preserve ancient Egyptian heritage and civilisation, and promote scientific research for the sake of humanity, by providing a unique and accessible integrated tourism experience for its visitors based on modern technological means of display. The museum is one of the most important and greatest achievements of modern Egypt, as the largest museum in the world that tells the story of the ancient Egyptian civilisation history. It houses of a large number of distinctive and unique artefacts, including the treasures of the golden king Tutankhamun, which are displayed for the first time in full since the discovery of his tomb in November 1922, the collection of Queen Hetepheres, mother of King Khufo (Cheops) who commissioned the construction of the Great Pyramid in Giza, the Museum of King Khufu’s solar boats, the colossus of Ramses the Great, in addition to various archaeological holdings from the predynastic era to the Greek and Roman eras.