Sorouh Real Estate PJSC (Sorouh), the Abu Dhabi-based real estate developer, and the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) have unveiled ready-to-view prototypes of a series of sustainable villas of the Al Ghareba national housing project.
The UPC and Sorouh presented the first Estidama villa prototype in the Al Ain Ghareba Residential Community that complies with the requirements of the Estidama 2 Pearl Villa Rating System. The sustainable design elements demonstrated by the prototype can now be applied to different housing typologies within the development.
Mohamed Al Khadar, executive director for development review and Estidama at UPC, said, “With the Estidama Villa Prototype in Al Ghareba, the UPC and Sorouh are implementing the principles that are imperative for sustainable community development. The Estidama Pearl-rated villas are now becoming an integral part of new Abu Dhabi communities.
“We all know that existing residential areas in the Emirate uses a substantial percentage of Abu Dhabi’s energy and water resources. By building sustainable homes that comply with the Estidama Pearl Rating System requirements, we not only create healthier, resource efficient, comfortable and environmentally friendly communities, but villa owners may also see a better return on their investment,” he added.
Sorouh Real Estate said that the Al Ain Ghareba Residential Community project demonstrates that sustainable design, if integrated early into the development process, yields significant benefits that outweigh the initial design and construction costs. These include better operational efficiencies, reduced operational and maintenance costs, such as cooling, lighting and water costs, healthier living and working environments, better quality and durability of the built environment and improved marketability, according to Sorouh.
The community will have 600 villas with plots allocated for community facilities. All the villas within it have been rated at design stage as 2 Pearl and have maintained this rating throughout the construction phase currently underway.
Fahed Saeed Al Ketbi, chief commercial officer at Sorouh, said, “The Al Ain Ghareba villas offer Emirati families high-quality, sustainable housing enveloped in a community development that features a wide array of amenities and facilities for a truly vibrant neighborhood.
“By implementing the Estidama guidelines, we were able to achieve healthier indoor air quality and higher levels of construction waste recycling. We are also able to procure more construction materials from the region, many of which are chlorine free or don’t contain ozone depleting materials.
“In terms of quality of life, the Estidama guidelines will encourage walking and cycling, thanks to the villas being within 350 metres of parks and recreational facilities and the installation of bicycle racks in each villa,” he added.
Al Khadar added: “Aligned with the UPC’s Complete Sustainable Communities initiative, each villa has a maximum walking distance of 350m to nearby community facilities, while public open spaces, pedestrian and walkways are properly shaded to promote walking and cycling, encourage social interaction and support public health.
“The Al Ghareba Residential Community has an Estidama 2 Pearl Community Rating. The Estidama Villa Prototype we have visited today tangibly illustrates that encouraging innovation and cultural expression in building design and construction is all about facilitating market and industry transformation.”
