Gulf Construction Online - Grohe takes green initiative to Syria

Regional News

Male ablution room at the Umayyad Mosque after the installation of the mixers.

Grohe takes green initiative to Syria

01 November 2011

AS PARTof its Green Mosque campaign in the Middle East, Grohe, the world’s leading premium brand for sanitary fittings, has introduced some innovative water-saving measures at one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world.

In coordination with the Ministry of Waqf in the Syrian capital Damascus, Grohe has replaced 50 mixers in the Great Umayyad Mosque with Contropress and Contromix self-closing taps to minimise water wastage during ablution.

The new mixers were replaced in the ablution rooms and in the central courtyard area to ensure the economic, ecological and safe use of water.

The Green Mosque initiative launched in the Middle East in 2009, is part of Grohe’s global WaterCare campaign, which seeks to increase public awareness about water conservation techniques and to secure the future of this natural resource.

Contropress wall-mountable mixer.

The Great Umayyad Mosque was selected as the beneficiary of this initiative in Syria because it is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. “It is the destination for thousands of worshippers and tourists every day; hence, this water conservation initiative will have a great impact in preserving water and saving public funds,” said Ziad Saasaa, the country manager of Grohe in Syria.

“Grohe is dedicated to using its advanced technological resources, first-class materials and design innovation to ensure water efficiency.

“It is this combination of factors that directly equates to reduced water consumption and products that deliver the best possible experience and which last a lifetime,” he said.

The new mixers were ordered from Grohe headquarters in Germany, where the company designed 29 Contromix mixers especially for the Umayyad Mosque to be installed in the ablution rooms (for male and female), in addition to another 21 Contrpress wall-mountable mixers in the central courtyard area. The position and location of each mixer was set to ensure maximum comfort during all stages of ablution. After the installation process, representatives from Grohe trained the mosque’s technical team on how to set up and use the new mixers.

Commenting on the initiative in Syria, Saasaa said: “Grohe installed five water meters inside the ablution rooms and central courtyard to monitor the water usage for a period of one-month, before and after the mixers were installed. A report on the amount of water conserved by this initiative is expected soon.”

The Green Mosque initiative was launched by Grohe in Dubai in 2009, in partnership with the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (Dewa) and Sesam Business Consultants. In this initiative, 20 new mixers with self-closing taps were installed for free in the Abu-Hamed Ghazali Mosque resulting in a 30 per cent decrease in water usage.

The Green Mosque initiative is now being rolled out in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

As a global brand for sanitary products and systems, Grohe has set standards in quality, design, technology and sustainability in its sector.

With its headquarters in Hemer and corporate centre in Düsseldorf, the company currently employs more than 5,000 people worldwide, including 2,300 in Germany. In 2010, the company’s kitchen and bathroom fittings and showers, automatic fittings for the commercial and contract sectors, and installation and flushing systems generated sales of €980 million ($1.3 billion).

Grohe has six production plants, of which three are located outside Germany, namely in Portugal, Thailand and Canada.