DUBAI — The UAE's developers are setting the pace for sustainable development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), driving higher regional standards in the outdoor construction and design industry, said a leading consultant. The UAE's construction industry is enjoying resurgence, with a total value of $315 billion in announced and planned projects last year, according to research by EC Harris, driven by mega-projects such as Expo 2020 and by spending on social infrastructure. “Dubai and Abu Dhabi are definitely leading the way for sustainable development here in the MENA region, with the municipalities having provided minimum standards that all developers must adhere to,” said Walter Bone, Landscape Design Architect at Khatib & Alami, one of the leading design firms in the region. “We are seeing many developers going above and beyond these standards and setting the bar for other developers to follow, which is great for the whole industry.” Developers in the region are increasingly looking at making better use of outdoor space, and providing a better environment for people to use it more effectively. “While in many areas here, people don't tend to make much use of available open space, once you provide people with spaces where they can live, work and play they will take advantage of that,” Bone said. “By providing landscaping amenities such as shaded areas, gathering places and so on, you make the quality of peoples' lives so much better. This is a concept that has been adopted around the world for a very long time and since Dubai and Abu Dhabi have embraced it, we can look forward to seeing it being embraced in other parts of the region.” UAE regulations stipulate that 25 percent of a project's development area must be set aside for environmentally-responsible landscaping, while Abu Dhabi is addressing sustainable development through its Estidama – the Arabic word for sustainability – initiative. “Since its inception, Al Barari has focused on environmental management strategies to integrate sustainability throughout the entire community, from engineering design and construction, to composting, water polishing and recycling,” said Kamelia Bin Zaal, Creative Director at Al Barari, the unique and ground-breaking eco-friendly residential community in Dubai. “We aim to not only minimize the local impact of development, but to enhance the regional environment and bring about careful ecological restoration.” “Dubai and Abu Dhabi's forward thinking is providing an example to the rest of the region and once again confirms the UAE's status as a regional leader,” said Nicholas Webb, Managing Partner of Streamline Marketing Group, the organizers of the Outdoor Design and Build Show 2015, taking place in Dubai on April 13-15, 2015. “By addressing sustainability issues now we are, quite literally, building for all our futures.” The Outdoor Design and Build Show is an annual B2B tradeshow that focuses purely on design and build for all public and private spaces including parks, urban areas, hotels, schools, sports venues, and major residential projects. Hosted and fully backed by Dubai Municipality, the event is the only dedicated international platform in the Middle East that caters to the entire spectrum of hard and soft landscape products and services. Major confirmed exhibitors include: Gulf Landscape, Wt Burden, Nahar LLC, and Hunter Industries. — SG
