Red Sea Global Achieves Seven LEED Certifications For Sustainable Properties At Its Destinations

Red Sea Global (RSG), the developer behind regenerative tourism destinations The Red Sea and AMAALA, has announced that it has been awarded six new LEED certifications for properties at The Red Sea. These Building Design + Construction (BD+C) certifications solidify its position as a leader in developing efficient, green buildings. Additionally, RSG secured the LEED for Cities and Communities pre-certification for the AMAALA masterplan. 

“We were determined to redefine industry standards from the outset. To ensure we deliver on this ambition, our development and delivery teams work hand in hand with our sustainability team at every stage, scrutinizing design plans and collaborating during the build process, resulting in high quality, low-impact properties,” said John Pagano, Group CEO at Red Sea Global.

The seven latest certifications RSG achieved are:

To achieve LEED certification, each building incorporates a range of sustainability features including passive design techniques, energy-efficient technologies, sustainable material selection, water conservation strategies, building management systems, and treated sewage effluent for irrigation.

Peter Templeton, CEO at the US Green Building Council (USGBC), said: “Achieving LEED certification is more than just implementing sustainable practices. It represents a commitment to making the world a better place and influencing others to do better. Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection and the central role buildings play in that effort, Red Sea Global is creating a path forward through their LEED certification.”

All six properties newly certified at The Red Sea are connected to the destination’s renewable infrastructure and operate entirely on solar energy. Across Phase One of the development alone, this will avoid the equivalent of 575,000t of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere per year. This is equal to removing more than 133,000 cars from the road for one year, or powering 75,000 homes[i]. AMAALA will be powered the same way and will avoid 350,000tCO2eq per year across Phase One of its development.

Further, Red Sea International Airport (RSI) is the only airport across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries powered by sunlight 24 hours a day.

When it opened last year, Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea, became the first hotel in Saudi Arabia to achieve LEED Platinum status. In July 2024, the US Green Building Council included Red Sea Global in its 2024 LEED Power Builders, a recognition awarded to developers and builders that have exhibited an outstanding commitment to LEED and residential green building. RSG is the only developer outside the US to have made that list.

LEED v4.1 Building Design + Construction is a global benchmark in energy and environmental design. Achieving the certification is the foundation for other accreditations, such as LEED Zero, a complement to LEED that verifies the achievement of net zero goals in buildings during operation and maintenance.

The Red Sea welcomed its first guests last year, with three of its hotels now open. Shebara and Desert Rock will welcome first guests later this year, while Shura Island is on track to welcome guests in 2025. RSI, which is situated within three hours’ flying time of 250 million people and eight hours’ flying time for 8% of the world’s population, has been receiving a regular schedule of domestic flights since September 2023. International flights began in April 2024, with a twice-weekly route between The Red Sea and Dubai International.

A second destination, Thuwal Private Retreat, located further south will open in the coming weeks. AMAALA remains on track to welcome first guests in 2025, when the first eight resorts complete as part of Triple Bay phase one, along with Corallium Marine Life Institute and the iconic Yacht Club.