What is Estidama ?
The Total Office is a project-based, workspace
solutions provider specializing in office furniture, acoustic
solutions, soft seating, and writable paint.
The UAE has never shied away from adopting the
latest trends and practices. In the field of construction and architecture, a
dominant trend in the region has been the adoption of sustainable and
eco-friendly practices. A fact not known to many : The UAE ranked 9th in 2014
among the top 10 nations in the world in adopting green building practices. An
even lesser known fact is that UAE has the 8th largest stock of LEED certified
buildings outside of the US. An impressive feat, considering extreme temperatures
in the region place emphasis on passive design strategies to keep buildings
cool, without having to rely on air conditioning.
The most popular certification for the design
and construction of green buildings would have to be the US based LEED - The
Leadership in Environment and Sustainable Design. Not one to be left behind in
the race to the most sustainable, in 2011 Abu Dhabi’s UPC ( Urban Planning
Council ) launched an Estidama, a first of it’s kind program that’s tailored to
the middle east. It rates projects by the Pearl Rating System, which aims
to address the sustainability of a given development throughout its lifecycle
from design through construction to operation. Through this, Abu Dhabi, and
eventually UAE, strives to be a model for sustainable and economic development
in the world.
Meaning ‘Sustainability’ in arabic, the system
is based on 4 pillars - Environmental, Economic, Social and Cultural. Estidama basis its rating system on a pearl rating (1 through
5).
The Pearl Rating System
At its heart consists of 7 components :
- Integrated Development Process:
Encouraging cross-disciplinary teamwork to deliver environmental and
quality management throughout the life of the project.
- Natural Systems: Conserving,
preserving and restoring the region’s critical natural environments and
habitats.
- Livable Buildings: Improving
the quality and connectivity of outdoor and indoor spaces.
- Precious Water: Reducing
water demand and encouraging efficient distribution and alternative water
sources.
- Resourceful Energy: Targeting
energy conservation through passive design measures, reduced demand,
energy efficiency and renewable sources.
- Stewarding Materials: Ensuring
consideration of the ‘whole-of-life’ cycle when selecting and specifying
materials.
- Innovating Practice:
encouraging innovation in building design and construction to facilitate
market and industry transformation.
The most basic and minimum achievement possible
is a 1 pearl rating - meaning all the prerequisites must be met. To achieve a
higher Pearl rating, all the mandatory credit requirements must be met along
with a minimum number of credit points.
How is Estidama different from LEED ?
The Pearl Rating system acknowledges that with
each stage of the project of the project - design, construction and finally
facilities - there are different responsibilities associated with it and hence
have to be rated accordingly. Keeping this reality in check, three rating
stages have been put in place : Design, Construction &
Operational.
A key point to be noted here is that Estidama
ensures that the performance of a building or facility, post-completion and
handover, is behaving as it was designed to. LEED, on the other hand, does not
account for this.
Think of it like a student studying for an exam,
only for a passing grade. AKA mugging up facts. There’s no real value in the
grade besides a piece of paper that confirms you’ve passed. With the Estidama
certification, companies can’t get away with it on the sly. Simply having
products specified and used on Day 1 to score an Estidama Pearl Rating will not
win any points. Pearl Rated projects are only those that put sustainable
strategies and practice into use over the time, so there’s real value delivered
to the environment.
There’s a good chance of
scoring a high pearl rating in Design and low in Operational if equipment and
strategies put in place are not implemented. Considering the Operational rating
can only be received at a minimum of 2 years after completion and 80% of the
building is occupied.
It’s important that a Pearl Rating is only valid
for 5 years, compared to a LEED’s 15 years. Which may make the investment into
LEED more worth the time and effort. Obviously, local government entities
advocate strongly and have opted for the Estidama Pearl Rating. In contrast,
MNC’s prefer LEED due to its global acceptance but don’t discount the Estidama
as a workaround when LEED proves irrelevant.
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