Emirates NBD — Dubai Terminal 3 Branch

Dubai International's Terminal 3 is the world's largest airport terminal building by footprint, and the dedicated home of Emirates Airline. Inside it, Emirates NBD operates a branch certified to LEED ID+C Platinum — the highest tier the rating system offers for interior fit-outs, and a level not many tenants achieve in airport-side retail space.

What we delivered

ISG led the LEED ID+C – Platinum-level submission and the engineering work behind it: performance energy modelling, daylighting simulation, acoustic consultancy, sustainable design consultancy, green building regulations and specifications, and independent commissioning. The brief for the Terminal 3 branch was to apply high-performance sustainability strategies that met the highest standards on energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and environmental stewardship — inside an airport-side leasehold.

Operating in a live airport

An airport fit-out is not a typical retail-space fit-out. The base building runs 24/7, has its own central plant, has security and life-safety constraints that don't apply elsewhere, and demands construction work that does not interfere with passenger flow or the airport's authority-having-jurisdiction sign-offs. A LEED ID+C team inside Terminal 3 has to inherit DXB's mechanical and ventilation infrastructure and build the certification credits inside whatever the leasehold actually allows.

The credits that matter most in this environment:

• Indoor environmental quality — ventilation effectiveness, low-VOC materials, and acoustic separation are non-negotiable in an airport branch where occupants are processed quickly and need to feel comfortable doing it
• Energy demand reduction — high-efficacy LED lighting with daylight-responsive controls where daylight is available, plus efficient plug loads and equipment
• Water efficiency — low-flow fixtures throughout the leasehold, calibrated against airport norms
• Commissioning — independent verification that what was designed is what is actually running, particularly important when tenant-side systems tie back into base-building infrastructure

Why airports are demanding host buildings

For tenants in any airport — DXB, Zayed, or otherwise — the operational profile of the host building shapes every credit decision. Airports run high-volume HVAC, have unique fire and life-safety codes, and tightly control any work that touches base-building services. A Platinum outcome inside that envelope demonstrates the design and construction team handled those constraints rather than fighting them.

Related certifications & markets