Estida a A to Z ama

Me edia Kit, A August 2010

Intr roduction Estidama me eans sust tainability in Arabic Estidam is the name of the c. ma naged by the Abu Dhabi Ur rban Planning Coun ncil (UPC) to initiative man promote sust tainability and enha ance quality of life. The ultimate goa of al o e ch abi's physi ical and cu ultural iden ntity, Estidama is to preserve and enric Abu Dha while creating unimprov g ved lifesty for its residents. In order to achieve our yle r o al ama, devel lopers, des sign teams and even residents need to th s n s hink goa of Estida diffe erently abo how th approa the de out hey ach esign and p planning p process of any dev velopment project.

"V Vision 203 maintain that su 30 ns ustainabili is the fo ity foundation of any ne n ew developme in Abu Dhabi, an Estidam as a su d ent nd ma ustainabili initiativ ity ve ma anaged by the UPC and the dr y driving forc of Abu Dhabi vis ce sion 2030 has h been conc b ceived to f fulfill this commitm ment, which will transform Abu h u Dh habi into th model of a globa sustaina he al able capita tal". H.E Falah M E. Mohamed Al Ahbab Genera Manage of Abu Dhabi Ur bi, al er rban Planning Council - April 19, 2009

Estidama is a aspiration; a man an nifestation of visionar governa ry ance that puts p emphasis on carefully a respon and nsibly man naged deve elopment. The Estida ama s ually addre essed thro ough four preteam assures that sustainability is continu defined angle environ es: nmental, ec conomic, social and cultural. T s This appro oach es Dhabi a d distinctive framework for promoting an measu nd uring give Abu D sus stainability. res an A to Z des scription of characte f eristic prog grams and compone d ents Her with Estidam which should ma many terms famil to you. hin ma; ake liar

Abu Dhabi Vision 203 30

Abu Dhabi is the larges of all se u st even emira ates in the United A e Arab Emira ates. Ove the last 20 years, Abu Dha has changed dra er t abi astically, benefiting from f mas ssive and ongoing in nvestment in educat t tion, const truction, te echnology and indu ustry. In 20 007, the Government of Abu Dhabi launc ched the Ab Dhabi Plan bu P 203 a comp 30, prehensive plan for th develop he pment of th Emirate. Overseen by he n the UPC (see U), the Plan guid des urban planning decisions for the next n s n qua arter of a c century. It sets out b building he eights, tran nsport infra astructure and land use as w as features guida d well ance for lar areas o traditional housing rge of g. The Capital 2030 establishes e a clear vision for sustainability as the found dation of a new all dev velopment. One of its fund damental b building blocks is the need to foster c o careful, sen nsitive gr rowth tha will at con nserve, preserve, and rest tore the critical natural env vironments and habitats. s
Urban Structure Framewor Plan rk

The Capital 2 e 2030 entru usts the UPC with th responsibility of responding to he g curr rent and f future dev velopment needs an guiding the way to a lead nd ding, mod dern, globa authent and sus al, tic stainable Arab city. A

Building Co odes
The final resp e ponsibility f overseeing most developm for ments in Ab Dhabi re bu ests with the Abu Dhabi M h u Municipality which works closely with th UPC. The y, w he municipality i develop is ping a com mpulsory building code that w includ a will de num mber of su ustainable criteria. Unlike other rating sy ystems, wh hich refere ence exis sting natio onal codes and pla s anning guides, the Estidama Pearl Ra ating Sys stem (see P) is bein develop ng ped in par rallel to the building codes and is e draf fted to alig with the codes. gn With the future adoptio of a ne Municip Building Code, A on ew pal g Abu Dhabi will ve que tunity to align develo opment reg gulations, b building co odes hav the uniq opport and the Pear Rating S d rl Systems to achieve a new ben o nchmark fo sustaina or able dev velopment practices.

Culture
The philosoph of Estid e hy dama is built on four pillars of sustainability: th s he env vironment, econom my, societ ty and culture, which tog d gether form m the basis o Estidam of ma's mult tidim mensional a approach. Estidama is exp panding the co oncept of o sus stainability by adding the cultura al com mponent. From the star rt, Estidama has been created wit th the local clim mate and culture in min In add nd. dition, Estidama as a program seek to prese ks erve the loc values and the cu cal ulture of the region. e

Developme Review Process ent

The UPC pla e ans and re egulates st trategic de evelopmen across t nt the Emirat of te Abu Dhabi. In an eff u fort to have a stre eamlined p process to review new o dev velopment proposals the UPC created the Develo s, C t opment Re eview Proc cess. Thr rough a series of mandatory elem ments this process a allows the UPC to ensure that new developm ments com mply wit th plann ning policies. Dev velopment proposals are subje to s ect rigo orous over rsight to e ensure tha the at city makes t y the most of the cu urrent clim mate of economic and cultural grow wth. The UPC is also u e s using stak keholder feedback to creat a te clea arer, more stream mlined re eview process.

ECSR (Estidama Com Su mmunity ustainable Responsib bility)

The Abu Dhabi Urban P e Planning Co ouncil, thro ough Estidama, has d developed the d Estidama Co ommunity S Sustainabl Respon le nsibility init tiative to reflect a new n responsive m mindset in the UAE. ECSR aims to tak Vision 2030 bey . ke yond exis sting susta ainable init tiatives by monitoring enforcing clear pro g, ocedures, and clar rifying resp ponsibilities that are crucial to support a vision of a harmoni s ious dive ersified soc ciety that is culturally rich and evolving in a contin y e nto nuously sta able env vironment.

Fareej Com mpetition

Mor than 10 universit students comprisin 35 team from ac re 00 ty s ng ms cross the UAE U par rticipated in the Estid n dama Fare Design Competiti eej ion, a joint sustainab t bility initiative organized by E Estidama and Aldar Pr d roperties i 2009. in Students we ere challen nged to des sign a su ustainable Emirati hou use integrated in th local he trad ditional neighborhood con ncept, Al F Fareej. Each team was asked to submit a design s o of a two-sto orey, multi-family, residential villa that included ng areas and an indoor livin spa ace for meetings and gatherings. T The best design wa showca as ased at G GreenBuild Internatio d onal Con nference a Expo in Phoenix, Arizona (U and n USA) in No ovember 2009. The Estidama Fareej D e a Design Con ntest aimed at creating a uniqu opportu d ue unity for students to not only apply the a o academic knowledge they have acquired but e e d also incorpora their cr o ate reative thou ughts into their respe ective desig gns.

Green Com mmunities

Estidama is a integrat an ted progra to devi guidelines and r am ise regulations for s sus stainable green buildi and gre comm ing een munities. Th hrough the applicatio of on the Pearl Rat ting System (see P), communit m ties in Abu Dhabi wil be equip u ll pped with walkable shaded, well-connected streets and pu h e, ublic realm that impr m rove livability and reduce reliance o cars. The syste on em provid des a set of t mea asurable g guidelines for rating sustainab bility performance of communities f acro Estida oss amas four pillars of e economy, environmen society and cultur e nt, re.

Human Res sources

The developm e ment of eff fective hum resou man urce assets across A Dhabi has s Abu bee one of the key focuses fo the UP en or PC. Progre essive hum man resou urce poli icies and internation best p nal practices coupled w with the p presence of a o dyn namic work king enviro onment ha ensure the attra ave ed action of the best ta alent for key positio at the UPC. The UPC's lo ons e ong-term objective fo encourag or ging Emirati talent is to raise the profile of the urban planning disciplines in t s targ geting stud dent audien nces and c creating a new gene eration of n national ur rban plan nners capa able of disc cerning the communities' distinctive nee eir eds. In M 2010, the UPC and the A Dhabi Education Council (A May Abu ADEC) sig gned an agreemen to prom nt mote highe educatio by prov er on viding scholarships and opportuniti to Emirati studen As par of the partnership, 15 ies nts. rt employment o sch holarships are pro ovided to selective student e ts who a are pursu uing und dergraduat te study programs in urba s an planning, civil engineer ring, eng gineering a architecture and Geog e graphic Inf formation S System (G GIS).

Inttegrated De evelopmen Process nt s

The Integrate Development Pro e ed ocess (IDP is an e P) essential c componen of nt Estidama. The IDP is a methodolo ogical proc cess on ho to create and deve ow e elop a g green-building projec It promo ct. otes coope eration and collabora d ation betw ween all stakeholde to atta synerg in the process o planning design and ers ain gy of g, con nstruction. The IDP is an evo olved mod that re del edefines e existing ur rban dev velopment practices a requires a level of collabor and ration that is rarely used u in t the Arab world or in current building projects. The Integ t grated Des sign Pro ocess is required f for all pr rojects req quiring Ur rban Plan nning Cou uncil app proval.

Jo Initiativ oint ves

The e Estida ama pr rinciples are refe erenced in many government y initiatives from the Abu Dhabi Surface m Tra ansport Ma aster Plan (Abu D n Dhabi Dep partment o Transpo to the Abu of ort) Dha Buildin Code ( abi ng (Department of Municipal Aff fairs, Abu Dhabi) to the o dev velopment of the Green H Hotel Building Gu uidelines (Abu D Dhabi Tou urism Authority). Estidama ha also developed many co as ollaborative platform with other e ms gov vernment a agencies a the priv and vate sector In 2009, the UPC along with the r. Abu Dhabi Co u ouncil for Economic Developm ment annou unced the launch of the f Wo orld Sustainable Cap pitals (WS SC) initiativ in part ve, tnership w with the World W Eco onomic Forum. The initiative c consists of a global and region alliance of f nal e Wo Sustain orld nable Capi itals and a network of leading e o experts, ec conomists and indu ustry repre esentatives in the field of urban planning a sustainability. s and

Knowledge
The Abu Dhabi Urban P e Planning C Council see to eks func ction as an innov vative ent tity gener rating rese earch in th urban planning fie In 2009 the he eld. 9, UPC partnere with A Manakh to exclus C ed Al sively sup pport the s second ed dition of the publica ation. The 536-pag book o intervie e ge of ews, trave elogs, and ana alyses, proposition p ns, infog graphics pho otography develops a uniq s que inside-out per rspective on the r region. More than 140 con ntributors report fr rom six cities in five cou untries (UA AE, Bahra ain, Qatar, Kuwait and Sau Arabia on the new connections being udi a) b forg ged within the Gulf, and the n new kinds of influen nce emana ating from the region. Thr rough its a alliance wit Al Mana th akh, the UPC has p U promoted a new leve of el deb bate and e expertise o strategic urban de on c evelopmen challenges in the Gulf nt G region.

Livable Buildings
The Pearl Ra e ating System (see P) applies ac cross seve main ca en ategories. One O of t these cate egories includes Liva able Buildin ngs, which is itself s h separated into two sub-cate o egories: Li ivable Ou utdoors an Livable Indoors. The Liva nd e able Buildings cate egory aims at impro s oving the quality and connectiv of outd q vity door and indoor sp d paces. The Livable O e Outdoors section dea with site and cont als e text issues, including the loca ation of t the propo osed deve elopment, activating urban e g environme ents, providing pub blicly acce essible are eas, addressing pedestrian the ermal com mfort thro ough shading and re educing tra ansport imp pacts. The Livable In ndoors sec ction add dresses int ternal ther rmal comfo natural daylight a ort, and indoor environm ment qua ality.

Mandatory
For each of t r the seven categories of the Pe Rating System (see P), th s earl g here are mandator and opt ry tional cred that ar weighte to prom dits re ed mote benef ficial sus stainable o outcomes. On April 2 2010, the Execut 28, tive Counc adopted the cil Estidama Pea Rating Systems for Comm arl munities, Buildings an Villas. The nd C ing with ea of the Municipa ach e alities in th Emirate to develo a he e op UPC is worki process and define t the subm mittal requirements for buildi ing and villa app plications. T These proc cesses will be in plac by Sept ce tember 201 10: As of J June 2010 all new p 0 privately ini itiated com mmunities are manda ated to satisfy the basic requi irements outlined in the Com o n mmunity Pearl P Rating System. Starting September 2010, all new privately initiated ap g pplications for s new bu uildings wi be required to ach ill hieve a minimum of one (1) pearl p rating. Governm ment-led projects (in ncluding s schools, m mosques, and govern nment offic ces) will be required to achieve a minimum of two (2) e e o pearls rating. Also s starting Se eptember 2 2010, new villa dev w velopments will also be s o require to achie a mini ed eve imum of one (1) pea rating. T o arl The Estida ama team is currently working on a program to ad s y ddress exis sting buildi ings (including existing Mosques schools, governme offices, etc.). As part s, , ent of that program, the Estid t dama team will be c m creating an assessm n ment method for newly complete building to ensur the Pea Operatio d y ed gs re arl onal Rating is obtained.

Natural Sys stems

One of the seven categories of t e the Pearl Rating Sy ystem (see L P R S W) e use to rate sustainab ed bility perfor rmance of buildings and communities. The f requirements included u under the Natural Sy ystems category aim to conse m erve, protect and restore the developm e ment site's critical na atural environments and hab bitats. An ecologica assessment add al dresses and protec cts the site's eco ological sy ystems by developin an ecos ng system managemen plan. Other nt cred include remedia dits ating or reh habilitating the site a creatin or resto and ng oring hab bitats (see X).

Open Partic cipation

Ope particip en pation and stakehold engag d der gement are at the h heart of each e initiative by th UPC for the Emira of Abu Dhabi. As a crucial aspect of the he ate u s f imp plementatio phase o each Pl on of lan, the Ab Dhabi Urban Pla bu anning Cou uncil invites commu unities to a attend public consulta ation sessions called charrettes. A d cha arrette is a creative p process use by design profess ed sionals to d develop ur rban and regional plans, co d onsisting o a series of works of s shops and professio d onal plan nning sess sions, by u utilizing the most cu urrent dem mographic a and econo omic stud dies.

Collabora ation with the citize of the region for the comp ens r prehensiv ve formulation of the urb frame n ban ework plan is one of the key f n f fundamen ntal principles followed b UPC. T planni proces that subsequentl p by The ing ss ly en nsues, aim at incor ms rporating m most of th views a he and desire express es sed by the r residents d during the initial se e essions. H.E Falah M E. Mohamed Al Ahbab Genera Manage of Abu Dhabi Ur bi, al er rban Planning Council Augus 9, 2009. st

The charrette involve residents of individ e es dual settlem ments and leaders and d representative from Estidama, t es the Abu Dhabi Gove D ernment a and a team of m

mul lti-disciplinary expert in urban design, planning, ar ts rchitecture, environm , ment, infra astructure, and trans , sportation. So far, cha arrettes ha been c ave conducted with w com mmunities in Al Gh harbia, Al Ain, Shah hama and Bahia a d among oth hers. Cha arrettes we also us in 2007 to produc Plan Ab Dhabi 20 ere sed 7 ce bu 030.

ng m Pearl Ratin System The Pearl Rating System (PRS) is the first sustainabil rating m e s s lity methodolog gyin the Arab wo orld. It was establis shed by Estidama t assess sustainab E to bility perf rformance of building communities, an villas. T gs, nd The PRS is a program enc compassing a Pearl Building R g Rating Sys stem (PBR RS), a Pea Commu arl unity Rat ting Syste em (PCRS and a Pearl Villa Rating System (PVRS),wh S) hich esta ablishes s separate ra atings acro the de oss esign and constructi ion phases of s dev velopment projects. T system provides a set of m The m measurable guidelines for s rating sustain nability performance of compl leted and occupied communit ties, buil ldings, and large-sc cale developments of villas, across Es stidama's four pilla economy, enviro ars: onment, society and culture. c The system a e addresses seven ca ategories; Integrated Developm ment Proce ess, Nat tural Syste ems, Livable Commu unities, Buildings and Villas, Pr d recious Wa ater, Res sourceful E Energy, Ste ewarding M Materials and Innovating Practice. a

The PRS underwent a testing and refinemen period in 2008 and 2009 whe a e d nt n d en sele ection of in nnovative p pilot projec in Abu Dhabi vied to gain E cts Estidama pilot p

stat in their quest to achieve gr tus r reater leve of susta els ainability p performanc in ce their designs.

"Th Pearl R he Rating Sys stem (PRS) is part of a wider a S) o aspiration to achiev a n ve sustainab society in the long run. It is not meant only to endorse ble y o e tec chnology l leadership in the bu p uilding sector, but a also to sim multaneou usly ad ddress the wider societal goa of sust e als tainability. Applying the Syste . g em will w yield h highly effic cient resu especi ults ially with r regards to water an o nd en nergy con nservation as the PR aims to create m n RS o more comf fortable an nd healthier co ommunitie that co es onsume les energy and fresh water an ss y h nd gener rate less waste. w Sao Al Jun oud naibi, Direc ctor of Dev velopment Review and Urban Design, UPC, U and Senior Es d stidama sp pokesperso on.

Quality of L Life
The overall objective of Estidama guidelin is to pr e f as nes romote the developm e ment of s sustainable commun e nities and improve quality of lif Throug sustaina fe. gh able urban develop pment, Estidama ensures that Abu Dhab resident benefit from bi ts f urban elemen that infl nts luence the quality of the urban and built f form. Thro ough ect eliberate co ontrol of the plannin and design proce ng ess, Estida ama dire and de has significan influenc on the quality of place and hence o the ove s nt ce on erall qua ality of hum life. Fully implem man mented, Es stidama w help res will sidents of Abu A Dha live in harmony with their environm abi r ment and c culture thr rough build ding hea althy comm munities, sites and buildings, reducing pollution and ene g n ergy con nsumption, integratio of rene on ewable energy and preservati ion of nat tural reso ources.

Resourcefu Energy ul
One of the se e even categ gories of th Pearl Rating Syst he R tem (see L N P R S W) use to rate sustainab ed bility perfor rmance of buildings and communities. The f requirements included under the Resource eful Energy category address the y reduction of energy demand, improvem ments to energy performan nce, oidance of harmful refrigerants and gener ration of on nsite renew wable energy. avo

Ste ewarding M Materials

One of the se e even categ gories of th Pearl Rating Syst he R tem (see L LNPRW) used u to rate sust tainability performan nce of buildings a and comm munities. The requirements included under the Stewardin Materials categor address the ng ry material us and the managem se ment of was with co ste onsideratio of on reduction of m f-life' cycle when sp e pecifying materials. This cate m egory redu uces the 'whole-of ste gh tful design encoura n, ages non-polluting m materials and was throug thought imp plements w waste ma anagement strategie to add t es dress construction and ope erational w waste.

Training
In o order to ac chieve the objectives of Estidam develo ma, opers, desi teams and ign eve resident need to think diffe en ts erently abo how they approa the des out ach sign and planning process. Achieving sustaina d g ability requ uires time, commitm ment, lead dership and a vari iety of to ools that work in h w harmony w with the new n cap pabilities of the const f truction ind dustry. Est tidama ass sumes the responsib e bility of t training diverse aud diences de evelopers, design co onsultants and prop perty own ners in Ab Dhabi o how to apply the Estidama Pearl Rating System in bu on m des signing the develop eir pments and rating the sustain d eir nability per rformance and to e educate its partners o the Esti on idama Inte egrated Dev velopment Process (see t ( I). M Many train ning workshops have already been conducted and 125 traini e b ings will be comple eted in 201 10.

Urban Planning Coun ncil

The Abu Dhabi Urban P e Planning C Council was created b Emiri Decree num s by mber 23 of the yea 2007 an the exp ar nd, pert author behind the vision rity nary Plan Abu A abi ighness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al S d Dha 2030. Chaired by His Hi Nah hyan, Cro own Prince of Abu Dhabi an Chairm e nd man of the Abu Dh habi Exe ecutive Council, the A Dhabi Urban Pl Abu lanning Co ouncil defin the sh nes hape of the Emirate ensuring factors such as sus e, g stainability infrastruc y, cture capacity, com mmunity planning and quality o life, by ov d of verseeing developme across the ent s city and the Emirate a a whole The Ab Dhabi U y as e. bu Urban Planning Cou uncil ens sures best practice in planning for both ne and existing urban areas. n ew As the Emira of Abu Dhabi co ate ontinues to rise as a open a o an and diversi ified com mpetitive ec conomy, th UPC is asserting its role in p he paving the way to cre eate a le eading mod dern, authe entic and s sustainable Arab city. e

Villa Guidelines
Estidama cre eated a S Sustainable Villa Guidelines to suppor Abu Dh e rt habi residents to m make their villa a be r etter mode of susta el ainability. T The Guide eline provides diag grams and simple ideas for making a villa p perform more m effe ectively by, reducing energy co , onsumption increasin efficiency and sav n, ng ving money. Build ding a ne villa o updating an exis ew or sting villa to be more m sus stainable m makes a villa more comfort e table, redu uces its e environme ental foot tprint and makes th villa a healthier place to l he live. A sustainable villa inco orporates smart way to prov ys vide insulat tion, impro ove the ef fficiency of air f con nditioning a lighting systems, maintain high standards of cle air indo and g h ean oors and reduce w d water consu umption. (a also see F) )

Wa ater
Las (in this a st alphabetica listing) o the seven catego al of ories of the Pearl Ra e ating Sys stem (see P) used to rate s sustainability perform mance of buildings and com mmunities. The requi irements u under the Precious W P Water cate egory focus on s reducing wate demand and enco er d ouraging efficient lea e ak-proof di istribution and alte ernative wa ater source They in es. nclude req quirements and credits address s sing inte ernal water saving, r r reducing ir rrigation water need and mo w ds onitoring water w use for possib leaks. e ble

Xeriscaping g
Xer riscaping is a term us for lan s sed ndscaping practices in arid envi p n ironments that min nimize the use of water and en nhance the ecologica value of the area. The e al wor is a m rd merge bet tween xe eros (from the Gre m eek word for dry)a and land dscaping. In the P Pearl Ratin System (see P) it is one of the ra ng m ating com mponents in the Natural S Systems category (see N). Xeriscap ping emphasizes t the use of plants w whose natu ural requir rements ar adapted to re d loca climates as well a techniques that re al s as educe the chance o losing water of w due to evapo e oration and run-off. Xeriscapin contribu d ng utes to sustainability by y insisting on reduced consump ption of water, eff w ficient ma anagement of t land dscaped a areas, pro omotion o soil pr of rotection a and maxim mized rain nfall rete ention. Est tidama rew wards proje ects that design and implement xeriscap d d ping that only requ water f the initia establish t uire for al hment.

Youth
The overriding aim of E e Estidama i to advocate for su is ustainable planning and livin as the e ng essential in ngredient t Plan Abu Dhabi 20 to 030's long-term succ cess (see A), while making a positive difference for future generatio e e e e ons. Estida ama con ntributes to the UPC ongoing endeavor to promote higher e o s r education and employment opportunities for suitable Emirati talent (see F and H). It also a ces the f future of young ge enerations at the heart of it concept of ts t plac sus stainable de evelopmen nt.

Zayed
The Abu Dha Urban Planning C e abi Council's primary purpose is to deliver upon p o u the vision of H Highne Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed A Nahyan Presiden of His ess h b Al n, nt the UAE, Rule of Abu Dhabi for t continu fulfillm er the ued ment of the grand des e sign env visaged by the late S y Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al N Nahyan and the ongo d oing evo olution of Abu Dhab as a gl bi lobal capit city. E tal Estidama is an initia s ative dev veloped by the UPC to achiev the dre y C ve eam of the late Sheikh Zayed bin e Sultan Al Nah hyan. Estid dama is the intellectual legacy o the late Sheikh Za e of ayed bin Sultan A Nahyan that puts emphas on carefully and respons Al n sis d sibly managed de evelopmen and a manifest nt tation of visionary governa y ance oughtful an respons nd sible development while creatin a balan ng nced promoting tho soc ciety.