The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC), the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), Abu Dhabi Municipality and Masdar are part of an initiative to develop sustainable buildings in the emirate - the initiative is called Estidama. Estidama, provides guidelines and regulations for green design, operation and maintenance of various buildings within the emirate of Abu Dhabi. In the first phase of Estimada the guidelines identified 10 sustainability elements that need to be addressed. These include: Water; Energy Use; Indoor environmental quality; Ecology; Management; Transport; Pollution; Materials; Waste management; and Land use.

“Several developers have already risen to the challenge posed by the new ratings system, with innovative landmark projects proposed in Abu Dhabi.  These will provide inspiration for others to put sustainability at the heart of their developments.” stated Juma’a Al Juneibi, general manager of Abu Dhabi Municipality.   

The guidelines will become regulations in a few months but prior to this occurring the councils are launching a major awareness campaign to ensure that developers are aware of the new guidelines. If you are interested, the technical guidelines document and assessment tool can be found online at the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council’s website www.upc.gov.ae. 

Read the full story at Trade Arabia

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