UK’s CMPi, organisers of Gulf Landscaping, scheduled to be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre on November 17 and 18, 2008 announced their support for the 2030 initiative - Estidama, which aims to make Abu Dhabi the sustainability capital of the Middle East.

“We support the 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.

“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,” he remarked.

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 by 2010.

Gulf Landscaping is an exhibition for the booming Middle East outdoor design and landscaping architecture industries.

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.-TradeArabia News Service