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Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) yesterday announced the launch of its Estidama (sustainability) programme, aiming at introducing mandatory green building laws and regulations to be applied in the emirate.
The design guidelines for new residential and commercial buildings, as well as the methods of assessment have been drafted already, and will be tested for the coming six months, as a first step to be passed as binding laws early next year.
"We do not want to issue new laws and then discover the difficulties of implementation at a later stage. Hence, we are proceeding with a testing period to refine these guidelines as law," Falah Al Ahbabi, UPC's general manager said.
The guidelines pertain to ten categories including water, energy and indoor environmental quality, while the assessment of buildings will be translated into a 'Pearl' points system, granting one 'Pearl' for buildings scoring a 35 per cent compliance rate, and five 'Pearls' for buildings that exceed 75 per cent in compliance.
The new rules entail the utilisation of environment-friendly design and material, allowing for more efficient use of water and energy, and better management for waste adding to the cost of construction.
"Nevertheless, in the longer term, residents will be saving costs of electricity and water and utilities, in addition to the creation of an environment that supports productivity," explained Jumaa Mubarak Al Junaibi, Abu Dhabi Municipality's general manager.
The new rules have been drafted through the coordinated efforts of the UPC, the municipality, the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EA), and Masdar, in addition to master developers such as Aldar, Sorouh and TDIC.
"The programme will take about five years for full implementation, as the first stage will be followed by other guidelines for existing buildings, and then the industrial buildings," Al Ahbabi revealed.
The municipality will be the supervisor for the implementation, establishing new dedicated departments and personnel, including construction lic-ensing and compliance.
Masdar will be providing the programme with the technological updates in the field, capitalising on the initiative's existing resources including the technology institute.
The new rules will be applicable throughout the emirate of Abu Dhabi, including Al Ain and the Western District.
The government in Abu Dhabi is already subsidising electricity and water for the residents, and the introduction of the new rules will help cutting the costs incurred due to these subsidies.
"Most important to us is to avoid the shock effect on the market, and accordingly we will gradually implement the regulations following appropriate testing," Al Ahbabi said.
What do you think of this measure? Should the programme be extended to the rest of the UAE? How would that affect the country's rate of conservation? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form below to send your comments.
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