The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council will host a breakfast roundtable on 18 November, featuring keynote remarks by Mr. Saood Al Junaibi, Director of Estidama, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council and Mr. John Madden, Senior Planning Manager, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council. This breakfast event will take place on the margins of Greenbuild 2010 in Chicago.
Mr. Al Junaibi and Mr. Madden will brief attendees about Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council’s Estidama Pearl Rating Certification Program, the United Arab Emirates equivalent to the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program in the United States. They will discuss Abu Dhabi’s energy sustainability goals that have been established under the direction of the Abu Dhabi 2030 Economic Vision. A brief introduction of the Estidama Pearl Rating system can be found below.
About Estidama
Estidama, which means ‘sustainability’ in Arabic, is the initiative which will transform Abu Dhabi into a model of sustainable urbanization. Its aim is to create more sustainable communities, cities and global enterprises and to balance the four pillars of Estidama: environmental, economic, cultural and social.
The early foundations and aspirations of Estidama are incorporated into Plan 2030 and other Urban Planning Council (UPC) policies such as the Development Code. Estidama began two years ago and is the first program of its kind that is tailored to the Middle East region. In the immediate term, Estidama is focused on the rapidly changing built environment. It is in this area that the UPC is making significant strides to influence projects under design, development or construction within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The Pearl Rating System for Estidama is one of the key tools for driving and determining the core principles of sustainable development. The completion of the Pearl Rating System for Communities, Buildings and Villas marks a critical step in the progression of Estidama by providing a suite of tools that will be the basis for driving and determining the core principles of sustainable development from master plan to plot.
