Green city

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Cool: the Burj Dubai will use recycled water for the building’s air conditioning.

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Eco-friendly: Japanese architect and project developer Nikken Sekkei’s ultimate Green Tower emits zero carbon.

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For many of its developments Aldar Properties is creating a community which contains schools as well as retail areas which cuts down on the reliance for traffic. "We understand that people don't live and work in the same building so we are creating integrated communities. Raha Beach, for example, has the Trade Centre and about three or four million sq ft of offices, together with other business-related space. It also has supporting retail and F&B along with various types of hotel from the three stars to the five stars and beyond," says Barrott.

Reducing the reliance on wasteful air conditioning, a much relied upon resource in this region is also being targeted by many green developers who are introducing district cooling systems rather than more wasteful units.

"Air conditioning is not environmentally friendly but is necessary for quality of life in this part of the world. By far the most eco-friendly system is the district cooling system as it uses less raw power to produce the cold water for people to use. As far as aesthetics are concerned, these systems are not large units are not on the top of buildings," adds Barrott. In this desert environment, conservation of water is equally important. On the Palm Jumeirah, Nakheel has implemented an efficient water recycling system which is used for a variety of purposes. "In the Gulf where we typically experience less than four inches of rainfall a year, water conservation is extremely important. Once the water that has been generated through desalination and has been consumed by the household on The Palm, it goes to a sewage treatment plant where we treat the water to a very high level," says Lenahan.

"From there it is used in our district cooling systems," he adds. The recycled water is also used for landscaping and irrigation around the development.

This type of system is being adopted by many of the developers in the region including Emaar Properties for the Burj Dubai. The world's tallest building will be cooled from melted water from three ice-making plants because chilled water alone would be ineffective by the time it reached the top of the building.

Around 15 million gallons of condensation will be produced per year which will then be drawn off and used to irrigate the local landscape.

On a more complex scale Nikken Sekkei uses sunlight in its Toyota Motor Corporation HQ Building, which used the world's largest mirror duct to bring sunlight into an underground café and floor air conditioning pumped through porous carpets. On a smaller scale but no less effective, having a recycling system in place as the ones that Aldar Properties implement in their developments, is also encouraging feature of green design.

Building a more eco-friendly building does have its downsides in that inevitably more complex materials and structures are more costly, however, many developers are convinced that as the world becomes more conscious of energy saving and eco-friendly initiatives it is now what the public is demanding for its buildings.

"Does the general public want it? Definitely. We are recognised as being at the top of the development game so it is part and parcel of the game. It's like keeping up with the Joneses," says Lenahan.

"We have large investors who are making substantial investment and people like that are more and more aware of social responsibility - they have to be able to tick that box before they go ahead and make an investment decision," he continues.

And it is not just new buildings that are undergoing the "green" treatment, Lenahan also points out that older, less-energy efficient buildings are also being targeted. "There are consultancy firms that can improve the efficiency of a building, measure it and are then paid based on the percentage of the money they save. We don't pay them if it doesn't work so it is in their interest to make it work. I think it is a very good business model that shows their faith in their product."

It would seem that the UAE is not only proving that bigger is better, it is also paving the way for the rest of the world in designing eco-friendly buildings, which will soon be the envy of developing cities.

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