Sowwah Island

Work is proceeding on several jobs, including the Rosewood Hotel and the stock exchange.
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This is all the more true when considering sustainability, a hallmark of the design so far and an important factor for Abu Dhabi’s green conscious government.

The three buildings currently under construction on the site were designed before the onset of Abu Dhabi’s ‘Estidama’ framework, but Al Shamsi said that Sowwah Square building is likely to get a two or three pearl rating when completed. It has also been LEED gold pre-certified.

“Because there were no (Estidama) standards at that time we took it upon ourselves to bring on the best standards that we knew out there, which was the LEED system, and apply that on Sowwah Island,” he said.

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The Sowwah Square towers feature a double glazing system with a built in air pocket that allows for a reduction of heat transfer from the exterior.

It also has condensation units in between the panes, so any condensation runs into a collection system, which is used as gray water within the development as a whole.

Floor to ceiling glass allows more light to come in, and shades on the western elevation reduce the heat gain of the building.

“The idea is that these architects coming in will have a base standard that is of great quality, and then they can expand upon that as much as their respective developers would want,” Al-Shamsi said.

Despite the pace of development of phase one, Al-Shamsi said there is little worry that phase two and three will lag behind, leaving a half finished development.

Mubadala has clauses written into the contracts that stipulate a strict timeline of planning, design, construction and completion for developers.

“In general, within the sale of every plot we’re given the owner or developer a five-year life span, to start working, get things on the ground. So there is not situation where you left with empty lots,” Al-Shamsi said.

“We won’t sell the land to somebody and have them wait to see whether the price will improve, we’re doing it the other way around. We take longer to sell and reach an agreement, until we know that they want to build. We’ve learned from some of the master developments in the UAE that went wrong, and are working very hard to prevent that happening,” he said.

This has been a process requiring greater due diligence, but also one intended to gather up companies capable of following ideas of international best practice and with a real long-term interest in investing in the GCC region.

The Sowwah Square buildings are expected to start handover at the end of this year and the team at Mubadala are also predicting a flurry of further activity at the same time. With plenty still to be done it is reasonable to expect there will be more contracts to bid for in the near future.