Abu Dhabi’s initiative to make the city the sustainability capital of the Middle East has been welcomed by a leading landscaping sector expert.

“We support the Estidama initiative as it is an integrated program to devise guidelines and regulations for sustainable (green) design, operation and maintenance of all types of buildings and communities within the emirate of Abu Dhabi and will be a forerunner that ensures the balanced growth of residential and commercial buildings integrating ample greenery and landscaping,” said CMPi group director, Chris Fountain.

UK’s CMPi is the organiser of Gulf Landscaping, scheduled to take place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre on November 17 and 18.

Fountain noted that Estidama New Building (ENB) design guidelines have been written to provide all concerned parties and stakeholders with outline information for an integrated approach to sustainable building design.

“This holistic approach to sustainable design opens up several new avenues for the landscaping business as Abu Dhabi leads the way by setting guidelines to integrate local and built environment in the regional context,” Fountain said.

Estidama, will subsequently be introduced in all seven emirates in the country and will serve as a prototype for other countries in the region.

Estidama, a sustainable development project still in the trial phase, is currently formulating construction guidelines for all new development projects in the capital, and is expected  to save energy and water consumption by up to 30 per cent. It will also be consulting with government agencies, utility providers and developers and planning consultants to draft sustainability guidelines for public facilities such as sidewalks and parks.

Spurred by the boom in the regional construction industry, landscaping projects in the region comprising commercial and residential landscaping design and maintenance are set to double in volume to exceed Dh60 billion ($16.34 billion) by 2010, he said.

Landscaping in the GCC is a competitive business fraught with high competition, shrinking profits and high capital expense, Fountain said.

Gulf Landscaping exhibition will serve as a sourcing platform and networking event for the region’s landscape architects, developers, contractors and other key buyers, to enable them to select products, services and solutions for the huge number of major developments in the commercial, retail, leisure and residential sectors, as well as city parks and highways.

The event will be co-located with Working Buildings Middle East and Fit-Out Middle East to enable those involved in the development and delivery of this major growth industry to meet their landscaping and outdoor architecture needs in one visit, said Fountain. – TradeArabia News Service