Abu Dhabi takes the lead in building sustainable, community-focused infrastructure, say experts
18 June 2025 00:37
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)The UAE capital has brought together over 2,000 global leaders in the construction industry for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit (ADIS), a two-day event that emphasises the role of human-centred sustainable infrastructure in developing liveable and resilient cities.Experts and thought leaders at the summit highlighted how Abu Dhabi takes the lead in redefining infrastructure to prioritise quality of life, sustainability, and wellbeing over traditional development models.Organised by the Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre (ADPIC), ADIS 2025 kicked off on Tuesday under the banner 'Future Cities: Rethinking Infrastructure for Better Lifestyles'.The summit opens up opportunities for investments and partnerships to key industry players from around the world, said Eng. Maysarah Mahmoud Salim Eid, Director General of ADPIC.
In an interview with Aletihad , Eid emphasised the importance of fostering collaboration and innovation as part of Abu Dhabi's efforts toward realising its ambitious infrastructure agenda. "We are managing a massive portfolio of over 600 government-funded capital projects worth more than Dh200 billion. Delivering that alone is not easy — we need fresh partners and new blood to join us through investment or collaboration," he said.When it comes to infrastructure, Abu Dhabi is distinguished by its human-centred approach, Eid said."The uniqueness of our infrastructure lies in its focus on social impact-developing what the community needs to enhance lifestyles, health, and wellbeing. As 2025 is the Year of Community, everything we develop is meant to elevate citizens, residents, and even tourists," he added.Highlighting key projects, Eid noted: "We have a world-class housing programme, an upgraded transport network, and major tourism developments like Saadiyat Island, the Natural History Museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and the upcoming Disneyland."
Prioritising Quality of LifeAbu Dhabi has been redefining infrastructure to create "liveable - and even lovable-communities", said Mahmoud Dandashly, Chief Business Officer of Lead Development for Jubail Island, who was also present at the summit. "Infrastructure today is no longer just about engineering and utilities," he said. "It includes both hard and soft infrastructure, supporting not only growth and mobility but also environmental quality and social wellbeing."The high-end, nature-focused Jubail Island - with 40 million square meters of mangrove forests and coastal areas - is a living testament to this vision, he said."The integration of sustainability, wellness, and liveability into national planning shows how deeply the leadership values quality of life," Dandashly said.The emirate's sustainability vision extends across the construction sector. For example, Abu Dhabi-based Build Hub provides high-quality, sustainable building materials under one roof."Our goal is to make it easy for customers to find everything they need in one place," said Eng. Al Anood Al Ali, CEO of Build Hub, and Oday Al Ahmed, Project Engineer.Another summit participant, real estate developer Reportage Group, praised the emirate's focus on people over skyscrapers."What makes Abu Dhabi stand out is the quality of life it delivers," said Sara Satari, Senior Global Communications Lead at Reportage Group. "It is about cleaner air, better living, and holistic wellbeing."Developer Bloom Holding also aligns its strategies with the emirate's ambitions. "Successful master developments are about human connection - where people feel rooted, inspired, and empowered," said Carlos Wakim, CEO of Bloom Holding.
AI Platform for Construction IndustryAt the event, the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) showcased how its AI-powered 'BINAA' platform has been streamlining Abu Dhabi's construction journey. Eng. Maryam Almheiri, Acting Section Head of Business Systems Development at DMT, said BINAA allows developers, contractors and engineers to monitor the progress of their projects in real time. "It improves transparency, speeds up processes, and enhances communication among all stakeholders."
Features like 360-degree project views, compliance charts, and a firm directory make it easier for users to manage timelines and select partners based on verified data.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
10 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Abu Dhabi to offer 100 free energy efficiency audits for industrial buildings in retrofitting drive: DoE
18 June 2025 00:40 KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI)The Department of Energy (DoE) on Tuesday announced plans to offer 100 free energy efficiency audits for industrial buildings as part of its broader push to promote sustainable development. The initiative also aims to meet demand-side management targets by improving building efficiency through updated regulations and retrofitting older at the RetrofitTech and Sustainable Buildings summit in Abu Dhabi, Mohamed Al Hadhrami, Energy Efficiency Sector Executive Director (Acting) at the DoE, highlighted how this initiative fits within Abu Dhabi's wider sustainability goals."Building retrofits and efficiency form one of the most important pillars of our demand-side management programme," Al Hadhrami told Aletihad on the sidelines of the summit."It supports Abu Dhabi's goal to reduce electricity consumption by 22% and water consumption by 32% by 2030."The audits, known as walk-through energy audits, will target key industrial sectors, including cement, food and beverage, glass, paper, steel, and heavy metals. Al Hadhrami explained that these audits will provide building owners and operators with clear insights into potential savings opportunities and help guide them towards more efficient energy practices."We want industrial owners to identify where they can reduce consumption, cut costs, and contribute to our collective environmental objectives," he said."So, the Department of Energy is trying to lead efficiency in the industrial sector by having this project, which we hope will enlighten industrial owners on how to improve their consumption." Cooling SolutionsAccording to Al Hadhrami, among the standout technologies being promoted as part of the retrofitting efforts are cooling solutions. Cooling accounts for 60-70% of energy consumption in most buildings across Abu Dhabi due to the region's hot climate, he said."The weather dictates our cooling needs, but we can still enjoy good cooling services while reducing electricity load significantly," Al Hadhrami said."This is where efficient cooling solutions come in, and we see enormous potential in scaling these technologies."One promising model gaining attention in the emirate is Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS). While globally recognised, the concept is still in its early stages in Abu Dhabi. According to Al Hadhrami, the DoE sees CaaS as a powerful tool for improving efficiency and reducing capital expenditure for building owners."Instead of purchasing and maintaining air-conditioning systems, building owners can essentially rent these services from private sector providers," he said."The provider ensures the system runs at optimal efficiency, typically delivering at least 30% savings on energy consumption or cost, while the building owner focuses on their core business."Al Hadhrami emphasised that CaaS represents a major opportunity for the private sector to partner with property owners and play a key role in the emirate's green transition."We already have successful cases of this model being implemented in Abu Dhabi, and we're looking to empower more providers and accelerate adoption across the commercial and industrial sectors," he free audit initiative and the promotion of advanced cooling solutions are part of a broader, deliberate strategy to help Abu Dhabi achieve significant reductions in energy Hadhrami revealed that the DoE aims to cut at least 6.7 terawatt-hours of electricity consumption through retrofitting and related efficiency measures by 2030."We are leading by example, but we need building owners and businesses to step forward and work with us," he said. "These free audits are a starting point, and we are calling on industrial players to register and seize this opportunity." Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi
Al Etihad
10 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Abu Dhabi takes the lead in building sustainable, community-focused infrastructure, say experts
18 June 2025 00:37 SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)The UAE capital has brought together over 2,000 global leaders in the construction industry for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit (ADIS), a two-day event that emphasises the role of human-centred sustainable infrastructure in developing liveable and resilient and thought leaders at the summit highlighted how Abu Dhabi takes the lead in redefining infrastructure to prioritise quality of life, sustainability, and wellbeing over traditional development by the Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre (ADPIC), ADIS 2025 kicked off on Tuesday under the banner 'Future Cities: Rethinking Infrastructure for Better Lifestyles'.The summit opens up opportunities for investments and partnerships to key industry players from around the world, said Eng. Maysarah Mahmoud Salim Eid, Director General of ADPIC. In an interview with Aletihad , Eid emphasised the importance of fostering collaboration and innovation as part of Abu Dhabi's efforts toward realising its ambitious infrastructure agenda. "We are managing a massive portfolio of over 600 government-funded capital projects worth more than Dh200 billion. Delivering that alone is not easy — we need fresh partners and new blood to join us through investment or collaboration," he it comes to infrastructure, Abu Dhabi is distinguished by its human-centred approach, Eid said."The uniqueness of our infrastructure lies in its focus on social impact-developing what the community needs to enhance lifestyles, health, and wellbeing. As 2025 is the Year of Community, everything we develop is meant to elevate citizens, residents, and even tourists," he key projects, Eid noted: "We have a world-class housing programme, an upgraded transport network, and major tourism developments like Saadiyat Island, the Natural History Museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and the upcoming Disneyland." Prioritising Quality of LifeAbu Dhabi has been redefining infrastructure to create "liveable - and even lovable-communities", said Mahmoud Dandashly, Chief Business Officer of Lead Development for Jubail Island, who was also present at the summit. "Infrastructure today is no longer just about engineering and utilities," he said. "It includes both hard and soft infrastructure, supporting not only growth and mobility but also environmental quality and social wellbeing."The high-end, nature-focused Jubail Island - with 40 million square meters of mangrove forests and coastal areas - is a living testament to this vision, he said."The integration of sustainability, wellness, and liveability into national planning shows how deeply the leadership values quality of life," Dandashly emirate's sustainability vision extends across the construction sector. For example, Abu Dhabi-based Build Hub provides high-quality, sustainable building materials under one roof."Our goal is to make it easy for customers to find everything they need in one place," said Eng. Al Anood Al Ali, CEO of Build Hub, and Oday Al Ahmed, Project summit participant, real estate developer Reportage Group, praised the emirate's focus on people over skyscrapers."What makes Abu Dhabi stand out is the quality of life it delivers," said Sara Satari, Senior Global Communications Lead at Reportage Group. "It is about cleaner air, better living, and holistic wellbeing."Developer Bloom Holding also aligns its strategies with the emirate's ambitions. "Successful master developments are about human connection - where people feel rooted, inspired, and empowered," said Carlos Wakim, CEO of Bloom Holding. AI Platform for Construction IndustryAt the event, the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) showcased how its AI-powered 'BINAA' platform has been streamlining Abu Dhabi's construction journey. Eng. Maryam Almheiri, Acting Section Head of Business Systems Development at DMT, said BINAA allows developers, contractors and engineers to monitor the progress of their projects in real time. "It improves transparency, speeds up processes, and enhances communication among all stakeholders." Features like 360-degree project views, compliance charts, and a firm directory make it easier for users to manage timelines and select partners based on verified data.
Al Etihad
10 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Revitalise body and mind on International Day of Yoga in Abu Dhabi
18 June 2025 00:51 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)Saturday, June 21, is International Day of Yoga and if you are looking for a revitalising experience for the body and mind, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi is hosting an International Day of Yoga event in collaboration with the Indian Embassy at the Louvre Abu an inclusive community setting dedicated to health, harmony and holistic wellbeing, featuring outdoor yoga sessions in the picturesque Louvre Abu Dhabi Park, set against the backdrop of the tranquil Saadiyat Island you're a beginner or an experienced yogi, you will enjoy connecting with like-minded individuals as you breathe, stretch and immerse yourself in the transformative power of mats will be provided but participants may also bring their the Galleria Al Maryah Island invites guests to join its complimentary yoga sessions. Classes are being hosted indoors on Level 2, South Link Bridge near the food court, facilitated by professional free sessions are set to run every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, from 8.30am to 9.30am. Guests are required to bring their own yoga mats and towels. Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi
