MUNICH and LONDON, May 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mayor of London and Siemens are to create a unique centre in Newham, East London, where city experts and high-tech engineers will work side by side.

Siemens AG intends to bring its global Centre of Competence for cities to London and create a joint 'think tank' with the city of London where international, high-tech engineers and London's city experts will work together side by side. "Our London-based centre for urban sustainability will be the flagship of our new Sector Infrastructure & Cities. We will bring Siemens engineers and a wealth of global city expertise to our landmark building, creating a win-win situation for London," said Siemens President and CEO Peter Löscher. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "Siemens' commitment to London is a thumbs up for the skills our city has in green and other sustainable technologies. With this global electronics and engineering giant's plans for their new centre far advanced we will do all we can to bring together the capital's invaluable expertise with Siemens' amazing pool of international technology pioneers."

Siemens AG intends to be a leading participant in the dynamic growth of cities and infrastructure investments. Therefore the company has formed a new sector spearheaded by a global Centre of Competence located in London. In addition to offices for city planners and engineers, Siemens plans to host a major, state-of-the-art, exhibition on sustainable urban development at the centre, which will be open to the public, as well as hosting conferences in its 300-seat auditorium and providing facilities for visitors including a shop, restaurant and café.

Siemens has raised the building's credentials to the highest standards available. Groundwork has already started at the site with plans to construct an All Electric Building - meaning no fossil energy for the building will be required. The Siemens centre will be a substantial landmark - it will cover an area of 3,687m2, in two dramatic, crystal-shaped sections. Siemens has invested more than GBP30 million into the centre to make sure it will meet the highest building standards - such as the LEED "Platinum" and the BREEAM "Outstanding" for sustainable design and construction. The building will be embedded in a smart grid and will include charging stations for e-vehicles. It will make use of solar power, ground source heat pumps, energy-efficient lighting and a closed water cycle. It is due to become operational and open to the public by mid-2012.

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors. For over 160 years, Siemens has stood for technological excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality. The company is the world's largest provider of environmental technologies. More than one-third of its total revenue stems from green products and solutions. In fiscal 2010, which ended on September 30, 2010, revenue totalled EUR76 billion and net income EUR4.1 billion. At the end of September 2010, Siemens had around 405,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at: http://www.siemens.com.

SOURCE Siemens AG