Intel Israel Goes Green

Since 1974, Intel Israel has been responsible for developing the Pentium and Centrino chips which power most PCs around the world.

Now, the company has dedicated the country's most environmentally-friendly office building, in Haifa. Dubbed IDC9, the 11-storey, $110 million facility is Israel's first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) -certified green building, and it has been awarded Gold, which is the second-highest rating in the LEED certification system.

LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. The U.S. Green Building Council initiated the LEED standard to encourage ecologically-sound construction in that country. There are currently a handful of LEED-certified buildings in Israel.

With the IDC9 building, Intel made a strategic decision to go full force in Israel after years of evaluating green design standards and incorporating green structure concepts into the construction of its buildings.

Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer praised the move at a gala dedication ceremony held at the site earlier this summer, which was also attended by Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan, Israel 21c reported.

Ben-Eliezer underscored the "natural and necessary connection between business and environmental protection," that Intel Israel was demonstrating in its investment in the building The building also conforms to the Standards Institution of Israel standard 5281 for “Outstanding Green Building,” which looks at four main areas: Energy, water savings, land, and ecological issues.

The LEED system rates buildings according to their environmental properties, including water and energy consumption, interior conditions, etc. It takes into account everything from construction materials and energy management to bike natural lighting and showers.

The facility incorporates multiple green elements, beginning at the construction level. Construction waste was separated into its component parts and recycled. About 13 per cent of the construction materials come from recycled sources, and the structure was built on a previous parking site to prevent damage to natural assets. These measures are expected to result in a reduction of 17 per cent in total energy consumption, according to Israel 21c.

As well, energy-saving techniques have been extended to the building’s computer room. Spread over 7,535 square feet, the space will house up to 15,000 computers, but the heat generated from these computers will be recycled for hot water and winter heating. The room uses energy-efficient lighting and is equipped with motion detectors that turn off the lights when the room is not in use.

The building bears double glazed windows, patios and reflective shelves, which allow natural light to infiltrate the structure. More than 75 per cent of its high-use areas are exposed to natural light with the help of automatic control systems that regulate the flow. Automatic sensors control the levels of artificial lighting according to the natural light, and employees can control lighting and temperatures in their offices via their personal computers. As well, fresh air is monitored by CO2 sensors that track the number of people on each floor.

The city of Haifa is extremely happy with the new Intel facility, with Mayor Yona Yahav stating, "Intel management's confidence in the city's ability to support the green building, positions Haifa as Intel's largest development center in the world. We are proud to have helped Intel Israel achieve this status."

Apart from the Haifa development centre, Intel Israel has centres in Yakum, Jerusalem and Petah Tikva, as well as two production plants, in Kiryat Gat and Jerusalem.