The Abu Dhabi City Municipality (ADM) revealed that it has saved US$290mn as a result of applying sustainability standards to various types of infrastructural projects
The achievement is marked by the implementation of the standards of value engineering and sustainability during the initial designs phases of the municipal projects.
The ADM started the implementation of sustainability standards in various roads, parks and infrastructural projects in Abu Dhabi city in 2011. Projects are being designed with special attention to the municipal standards including sustainability requirements, which have also been inculcated in the design manuals and specifications of constructing roads, infrastructure, parks and recreational facilities across Abu Dhabi in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC). The implementation of sustainability requirements in projects is being verified by ensuring that projects have sustainable engineering designs.
The municipal infrastructure and assets sector seeks to implement the latest technologies in support of sustainability. The concerned personnel are conducting pioneering studies and applied research, pilot projects and joint case studies with universities to review and assess the new initiatives and technologies in this regard. The objective of these improvement efforts is to update the relevant specifications and standards along with the relevant inputs to ensure they are compatible with the stipulations set by Abu Dhabi.
The municipality used geosynthetics networks in the design of asphalt pavements of road and development projects. This practice has yielded encouraging and positive construction results such as increasing the design lifespan of paved roads service from 20 to 30 years, reducing the thickness of asphalt pavements by 20 to 30 per cent and reducing the cost of asphalt construction by 10 to 20 per cent.
The municipality has also started its project aimed at reusing various road layers in maintenance through recycling cold asphalt at the project site, thus eliminating the hassles of using and transporting new materials to the site.
The municipal infrastructure and assets sector at ADM clinched an international sustainability award last year (Retrofit Tech Award 2017) for the Best Lighting Project for Yas Island Street Lighting Project and the Street Lighting Guide for Abu Dhabi.
The lighting strategy is expected to reduce the total cost by about 40 per cent over the next twenty years compared to previous standards.
