088 Estidama is advanced by the government across the entire
Learning from Cities— The 2nd Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation
(2) Significant Improvement of Buildings’ Hygienic Conditions
construction sector to ensure that
Estidama buildings have designed
all projects are included and receive
energy use reduction of 31% and
necessary assistance. Training is also
designed water use reduction of 37%.
actively provided to raise awareness
More impressively, 65% of construction
among people working in the
waste has been diverted from landfill.
construction industry and the general
There are unquantifiable impacts
public.
such as improved health of buildings and quality of life for residents due to mandatory reduction of unhealthy
Effect and Challenge 1. Effect of the Initiative
materials and the encouragement of passive design measures. These and many other improvements occur at
After several years of implementation,
all scales from single homes to whole
Estidama has evolved from a vision to
communities through the Pearl Rating
an accepted sustainability framework.
Systems for Villa, Building and
(1) Effective Pearl Ratings and Personnel Training
Communities. Take Masdar City as an example.
Since Estidama Program was
A s i t s t a n d s n o w, M a s d a r C i t y
incepted, it has included over 1,100
Free Zone has been home to over
projects either under construction or
250 corporations, most notably
already completed. The Pearl Rating
International Renewable Energy
System has engendered positive
Agency, GE, Siemens, Mitsubishi, SK
changes to over 1,000 buildings, with
Energy, Lockheed Martin. Located
the gross floor area amounting to 11.3
in the heart of Masdar City, Masdar
million square meters; 1,250 villas have
Headquarters constitute an energy-
been rated with pearls, with the gross
efficient building characteristic of zero
floor area reaching 4.9 million square
waste and zero carbon emission, a
meters. Over 10,000 individuals have
groundbreaking project designed by an
received training pertinent to Estidama
integrated design team that comprises
Program, and 1,750 individuals have
leading architects from Adrian Smith
been certified as Pearl Qualified
+ Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG).
Professionals.
Masdar Headquarters is designed in an