The Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme (SZHP) and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) on Tuesday signed an agreement to expand the development of the Masdar Eco-Villa sustainable home concept around the UAE.
Launched earlier this year, the Masdar Eco-Villa is a functioning residential property designed to consume around 35 percent less water and 72 percent less power than a typical Abu Dhabi villa of the same size.
Under the terms of the agreement, the SZHP will build prototypes based on the Eco-Villa concept around the UAE with technical guidance and support from Masdar. The partnership is expected to generate additional performance data on sustainable housing, further enhancing its long-term commercial viability.
Yousef Baselaib, executive director of Sustainable Real Estate at Masdar, said: “Today’s agreement supports the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme’s vision of providing high-quality, affordable housing to UAE national families.
“The fact that the Programme has decided to promote the Eco-Villa concept is an endorsement of the original goal of its design – and the aims of Masdar City as a ‘greenprint’ for sustainable urban communities.”
The Masdar Eco-Villa incorporates environmentally friendly features such as enhanced insulation and shading to minimise power consumption for cooling, as well as LED lighting and water-saving interior fittings to further limit energy and water use.
When fully equipped with rooftop solar panels, the Eco-Villa concept produces more electricity than it consumes from the national grid.