Arada executive highlights importance of sustainable development at key industry event
News: 9 May 2019
An architect from Arada’s development team has spoken out about the importance of sustainable development techniques at an industry event held recently in Dubai.
Deema Aburizik, Arada’s Design Director – Master Planning, took part in a panel entitled ‘What are the steps being taken by developers to ensure future projects are both sustainable and energy efficient?’ at the Construction Innovation Forum, which was held on 1 May at the Fairmont the Palm hotel.
During the session, Aburizik highlighted Arada’s approach to sustainability, particularly with regard to Aljada, the exciting megadevelopment currently being built in Sharjah. At Aljada, extensive work is being undertaken to weave sustainable solutions into the fabric of the master plan, including wastewater reuse, the use of renewable energy. The public realm design and pedestrian linkages have been shaped and laid out in such a way to make best use of shading, in order to reduce the use of private cars when moving within the development.
“Sustainability is a core part of our vision, and this stems directly from our two founders, both of whom are forward-thinking and environmentally conscious,” Aburizik said during the discussion. “Both of our projects, Aljada and Nasma Residences, are designed to be vibrant and sustainable urban environments. In our experience, sustainable development and sustainable building practices are actually being driven by bottom-line requirements and consumer interest.
“Consumers in this part of the world are becoming more educated and are aware of the cost savings from sustainable and smart building, and Arada is receiving a high number of requests from potential buyers about this issue. From a balance sheet perspective, it’s more clear than ever before that sustainable building practices save considerable sums over the long term.”
Other speakers on the panel included Sunil Gomes, CEO of Gemini Group; Cyrus Engineer, Managing Director, Shapoorji Pallonji International Property Developers and Suhail Arfath, Industry Manager – Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Autodesk. The panel was moderated by Rita Allan, Senior Associate, Pinsent Masons.
