The Emirate of Abu Dhabi

My time in the Middle East was not just limited to the city and Emirate of Dubai. In fact, my primary aim for heading to the UAE was to learn more about the Masdar City project in Abu Dhabi, not just to explore the fantastic hotels and luxurious lifestyle of its rival city along the coast. So both for fun and work I traveled several times into the city of Abu Dhabi and once out to Al Ain, the other major city in the emirate to experience more of what the UAE has to offer both for city planning and green building and for cultural learning. This post will try and explore a bit of both while reserving a bigger discussion on Masdar City for a later entry.

Let’s start with the fun side of Abu Dhabi. Long overshadowed by Dubai, Abu Dhabi is rapidly transforming itself into the cultural hub of the UAE through massive developments on its multiple islands and on the mainland. The recently opened Yas Island developments sport a world-class F1 race course, the accompanying Ferrari World theme park, a beautiful golf course, and multiple five star hotels and restaurants. While it all sounds fancy, I actually didn’t venture out to this pricey paradise during my stay choosing instead to explore the older part of the city and its cultural offerings.

Walking around downtown Abu Dhabi, it is easy to see why the city is rapidly trying to change its face. Older buildings line arterial road ways with only a few malls, cultural landmarks, or other points of interest for visitors. After hopping off of the inter-emirates bus from Dubai, you find yourself on a busy road with mid-rise towers in both directions as far as the eye can see. Nearby Al Wahda Mall provides a shopper’s haven that seems unremarkable after the extravagance of the Dubai Mall and the Mall of the Emirates. Take a bus out to Marina Mall, and though this center of weekend life has more gimmicks to attract visitors, it still does not attain the “wow” factor of Dubai’s shopping meccas. After indoor ski slopes and aquariums, fountains and a small ice rink seem tame in comparison.

If you’re looking for culture, however, Abu Dhabi may have Dubai’s number. If you want the touristy experience, like Dubai, in Abu Dhabi you can begin with a Heritage Village where you can see traditional homes and arts being used and practiced in a sample of what past Emirati life was like.

From there, when construction is finished, check out the fort in the middle of the city (closed when I was there) and pass by the fort in the water on the road to Dubai (but apparently this is still a military institution so be careful taking photos—the one below was snapped from the road that runs by it).

Yet if you are really looking for historical sites in the emirate, head out of town to Al Ain, the oasis city. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to fully explore the gardens for which the city is known or the mountain Jebel Hafeet, the second tallest in the UAE. Instead, on my trip to Al Ain, I headed for the Al Ain Wildlife Park, a partnership with the San Diego Zoo to create a world-class research and zoological center. Much of the area is under construction at the moment to create large exhibit zones and resorts reminiscent of the San Diego Wild Animal Park, but the zoo still has an impressive array of animals ranging from native Arabian species to several of South Africa’s rare white lions.

For those who have been following my blog since my days in Beijing, you will recall I posted a long section on what I learned and observed at the Beijing Zoo. Well, contrary to that experience where families screamed, threw rocks and food, and taunted the animals, in Al Ain the atmosphere was much more reverent. Perhaps the idea of being a world-class zoo has bred respect in the visitors or perhaps the much smaller number of visitors meant each was more accountable for his actions. Whatever the reason, in Al Ain, visitors were much more respectful and did not bang on the glass, throw food and rocks, or yell at the animals. In one instance I saw a little girl throw something at the cheetah perhaps because his eyeing her scared her but she was quickly swooped up and reprimanded by her father. To me, this could be indicative of a more advanced ecological or environmental awareness in the UAE compared to China. However, as I mentioned before, the social surroundings were vastly different so the comparison is not entirely apt.

One of the best parts of the day, in my opinion, was watching the bird show in the evening where a bit about falconry, a cultural sport of the UAE, was presented and discussed. I have heard several (including during my visit) decry this practice as animal cruelty because the falcons are kept caged and hooded when not hunting, but the flip side is that this is a traditional action much like whale hunting in Japan and northern Europe. It has significance to Emiratis and others in the Gulf and is marked by a respect for the falcons and not simply a desire to master them. When listening to an Emirati speak about falconry, there often is a detectable awe of the bird’s power and swiftness. I suppose after considering each side, it seems to me that the cultural and historical aspects of the practice are similar enough to other protected actions that some consider animal cruelty that unless practices such as whale hunting are stopped completely, neither should falconry be.

Returning to the city of Abu Dhabi, there are several other sights worth your time. Perhaps the largest tourist draw is the massive, and impressive, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Built with personal funds of the late ruler in an amount unknown to the public, this white marble edifice rises from the desert off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi road with its four towering minarets and multiple bulbous domes as a proud statement of the strength of the UAE’s faith. Impressive inside and out, this building features marble imported from all over the world to give slightly different shades as you wander through. The massive carpets, constructed in single pieces for each of the large halls are intricately detailed and beautifully ornamented. Rising from them are massive pillars and archways punctuated in gold at the capitals. The whole experience is breathtaking and stunning –certainly worth a visit.

After experiencing the mosque, take some time to explore some of the other sights of Abu Dhabi as well. If you follow the road from the main bus station in the city out towards the ocean, you pass first by the main souk which is a large covered shopping center with all manner of goods that supposedly is quite lively in the evenings (I only visited in the late afternoon when half of the shops were not yet open). Past this, there are some large statues depicting typical items from UAE culture—an incense burner, a cannon, and others.

Yet it is past these still that you reach what I think is the best area in Dubai—the Corniche. Though it is currently under construction to add a nice broad beach, the existing walkway makes for a beautiful, relaxing stroll if you stay high enough that you see over the construction fences. Beginning with the park at the end of the main road, you can stroll for an hour or more toward the breakwater and take in views of the sunset over Marina Mall and the islands off the coast. After what seems like endless construction fencing, you arrive at the existing beach where you can either enter and take a dip or stop and watch the sunset over the mall and Emirates Palace with palm trees, grass, and beaches in the foreground. The whole experience is a great end to the day and a nice way to wind down. Don’t be surprised to see joggers passing you the whole time—this beautiful walk makes the best place for maintaining for shape in a city without a lot of nature.

After the sun finally dips below the horizon and you’ve enjoyed the fast food or ice cream further down the beach, continue walking until you reach the massive, ostentatious, gated 7-star hotel called Emirates Palace. You can’t miss it, but just be sure to walk to the second gate to pay a visit—the first one is reserved for the ruler and members of his family only. Walking up the winding drive you catch great glimpses of the water fountains in front of the hotel and can gaze at the beautiful European building all lit up. It’s just as beautiful in the day, and whether day or night, the interior is impressive. Gilt columns and ceilings put the finishing touch on marble colonnades, finely decorated stairwells, and lavish balconies. A multi-storey domed atrium is the centerpiece of the building and at Christmastime, one of the times I visited, houses the most expensive Christmas tree in the world. Dripping with jewels, necklaces, earrings, and gemstone-studded ornaments, this year’s tree set the all-time record for the most expensive Christmas tree ever. That’s on top of the fact that it is real—something most malls do not do because all trees here have to be imported, thus adding to the cost.

If you have thousands to splurge, perhaps stay at the hotel, but if not, grab a coffee next to the live music, admire the galleries on the ground floor, and when you feel as if you don’t belong among the opulence, head back to the bus station for Dubai knowing that you’ve left Abu Dhabi’s 7-star answer to the Burj al Arab.

Well, that’s the fun and touristy part of Abu Dhabi that I experienced. One other activity I would recommend if you have a car (but is hard to access without, as I learned) is the camel races about 45 km outside of Abu Dhabi. They happen early Thursday mornings, or so I’m told, and should be quite the sight since the camels are driven by electronic jockeys (the use of child jockeys was outlawed a few years back) and chased by owners in SUVs. If I have one regret from the UAE it is not finding a way to glimpse this spectacle.

So now on to the business side of Abu Dhabi, at least for me—the urban planning and massive development that is taking hold of the city and will continue until 2030. Learning from the rapid, sporadic, and ultimately stalled growth of Dubai, the government of Abu Dhabi laid out a comprehensive plan recently for how the city will develop between now and 2030. The Abu Dhabi 2030 Plan includes several new districts, a massive urban transit upgrade that spans subway, light rail, trams, buses, and more, and guidelines for new and existing roads that will be safer and more comfortable for pedestrians and drivers. Compared to Dubai, which as I mentioned in one of my previous posts developed in segmented plots owned by large companies, this comprehensive, unified plan seeks to make a better, more sustainable urban center. Perhaps this attempt at a better city is partly the latest in the semi-rivalry between the two emirates—the capital (Abu Dhabi) and the one everyone knows (Dubai).

From an environmental standpoint, the centerpiece of this new development is Masdar City—a masterplanned sustainable urban center near the Abu Dhabi airport that seeks to be the first zero-carbon city in the world (maybe—more on this in a later post). The hope is that Masdar will influence the surrounding area and generate a new mode of urbanism that can be exported to Abu Dhabi, the GCC, and eventually the world. Independent of Masdar, Abu Dhabi is already undertaking significant efforts to improve its environmental footprint. One impressive measure is the attention paid in the Abu Dhabi 2030 plan to pedestrian and public transit. Whereas Dubai is nearly impossible to navigate on foot and is just now venturing into effective public transit, Abu Dhabi is trying to plan for these services to expand with the city. Detailed diagrams in documents relating to the master plan show how streets are to be classified and designed to segregate pedestrians safely from vehicles and provide comfortable, shaded areas for walking.

The question remains, however, as to whether this alone can change the current trend in the UAE towards bigger and more vehicles. As one architect told me, there is a trend in this nation to use your car even to drive half a block between stores. Part of that is because in summer it is too unbearably hot to walk, and partly because people have become so reliant on their cars that they do not even think to walk. Shading the streets is the first step, but the second is actually influencing behavior. Certainly there are groups in Abu Dhabi such as the Environment Agency that are working hard to try and change the mentality of Abu Dhabi’s residents, but awareness is still generally low on environmental issues. Numerous times I heard that many people know about environmental problems such as climate change but they may not know how they are affected or how they can make a difference. There is a disconnect between reports that water is scarce and energy intensive in Abu Dhabi and actions such as taking shorter showers or flipping off lights. Part of this is that electricity is so heavily subisidized that there is no fiscal incentive to save energy. However another issue is just a general lack of environmental education in the UAE. And even when classes are taught to save energy, some feel that the mode of education is to tell residents not to use so much energy or water to which the response is “You can’t tell me what to do.” Some feel, instead, that it is better to give the information and facts on water saving and energy saving in the home and let residents decide—if they feel it is their choice and their revelation, they are more likely to embrace it.

Getting back to the Abu Dhabi 2030 plan, perhaps the most important environmental initiative included in the plan is the recently released Estidama regulations. After two years of preparation, this code is a new standard for ecologically sensitive buildings and includes regulations for everything from villas to new developments. The system ranks buildings on environmental, social, cultural, and economic parameters with a focus on promoting integrated design from the very beginning of a project. It gives credit for environmental and social initiatives and connectivity for the property to rate buildings on a scale of 1 to 3 Pearls. (Pearls are important in the UAE as pearl diving was a primary economic engine for the region prior to the discovery of oil.)

One of the most progressive aspects of Estidama is that it is being incorporated in the master plan as mandatory for all new construction and is tied to the permitting process. This means that if you cannot demonstrate that your project is on target to meet the minimum 1 Pearl requirement, then you cannot move ahead with your project. Furthermore, unlike other rating systems that only certify a building after completion, Estidama has three check-off points at which the building must demonstrate compliance with written standards and targets. The first of these is in the design phase where the planning team is responsible for documenting roles, responsibilities, and strategies for the project and then lay out how they plan to achieve a given rating. Once approved, this rating target can be used to market the project and to guide the team moving forward. The second check-off comes after construction to ensure that between the design submitted to the Urban Planning Council and the final product nothing was changed. Here again, the building must be certified with at least 1 Pearl to become operational. While the ranking can change between the two check-offs, the building must not drop below minimum compliance. The same is true between the second and third check-offs, with the latter occurring after 1 year of operation. This is to ensure that the modeled performance is actual occurring and helps to eliminate a common problem in the UAE—lack of maintenance and lack of knowledge of maintenance and facilities operators on the specific challenges of minimizing energy and water use during building operation. A building can only ever be as green as those operating it choose to make it. No matter how good the structure may be, if those using the building don’t do so properly, even a “green” bullding could be among the worst offenders.

What really makes Estidama unique from other systems is a combination of its mandatory nature, its multiple check-offs, and its focus on integrated design. One of the common frustrations with the ubiquitous LEED rating system is that points can be netted to improve ratings simply by tacking on some efficient systems or a bike rack after a poor building has been designed. It was these issues that drove renowned architect Frank Gehry to proclaim the system “bogus”. (Ed. note: This author does not personally agree with Mr. Gehry’s claim. The simple fact that LEED has increased the awareness and consciousness of green buildings and the continual efforts of the USGBC to reform and improve the system to address these and other concerns are, in my opinion, testament to the validity and importance of LEED.) One researcher in India who was impressed with Estidama described LEED as a system to make bad buildings better but not to strongly encourage good buildings; Estidama, he said, was the next step in requiring and promoting good design. On the other hand, Estidama requires a commitment from the design team to integrate and strive to incorporate passive, smart design to reduce energy and water demand before applying technology. This is by far the better strategy for creating sustainable buildings as most of the savings come from simply considering natural factors such as prevailing winds, availability of daylight, and heat gain from various orientations. Once this is taken care of, you can reduce your baseline consumption substantially and then further eliminate energy and water use through smart systems design and application of technology. This reduces costs, improves performance, and reduces the potential of variability in performance later.

So with all of the good about Estidama, what’s the downside? Well, so far I haven’t found any strong downside, but there are some concerns among professionals that will need to be addressed for Estidama to retain its effectiveness moving forward. Perhaps the single biggest obstacle to Estidama’s success is the amount of capacity necessary to administer the system. With all new projects as of the first of this year being required to meet Estidama’s guidelines, the UPC will have its hands full certifying and verifying claims and projects. Some pointed out that it took USGBC several years to build the capacity necessary to effectively implement and update LEED as necessary, so to think UPC can do so immediately may not be realistic. Another topic to watch is how Estidama will be updated as time goes on to keep up with lessons learned from administration of the program and new technology. There is a tendency, I’m told, in the UAE to just sweep ineffective regulations under the rug and forget about them rather than admit obsolescence or mistakes and improve the policies. Given the landmark nature of Estidama for the region it would be sad if this happens, so it will be interesting to watch how the system adapts. As one developer said, “A 3 Pearl building in 5 years should not be the same as a 3 Pearl building now, and the system needs to reflect that.” This isn’t so much a concern as a topic to watch. The last thing to watch regarding Estidama is how it will handle existing buildings or if it will. Currently the guidelines apply only to new construction and not to renovation. No action is required by the government to improve the efficiency and performance of existing buildings. However it could be possible to implement a voluntary Estidama standard for existing buildings or to require upgrades at a change in ownership. I’m not sure to what degree this has been discussed, but many architects and environmentalists in the region mentioned that existing buildings make up a significant portion of the building stock and therefore need to be addressed. That Estidama does not know even have voluntary guidelines for such upgrades is a topic to watch and something that hopefully will be addressed.

Estidama is certainly the environmental highlight of the Abu Dhabi 2030 plan, but it is important to remember that there are other environmental initiatives as well, mostly aimed at protecting wildlife habitats near areas of development. Sea turtles, dugongs, Arabian oryx, and other endangered wildlife could be affected by the developments and the Environment Agency is implementing comprehensive plans to ensure that they are not adversely affected.

Yet for all of these environmental initiatives, the Abu Dhabi 2030 plan is much more oriented on making the city a world-class cultural destination. Four new museums on Saadiyat Island designed by international architects (Frank Gehry among them) will be constructed to bring high-brow culture to the emirate. These include a Louvre museum, a Guggenheim, and the Sheikh Zayed Center. Even the Norman Foster designed World Expo Pavilion will be brought home to Saadiyat Island over the next few months.

Certainly when these impressive landmarks are finished Abu Dhabi will be an interesting place to visit and explore. However, to leave you all with something to consider (and feel free to post thoughts below), was it right of Abu Dhabi to create this world-class cultural center with international architects? Certainly a part of sustainability is supporting the long-term success and development of your own local people, part of which are capable architects. Would it have been a stronger statement about Abu Dhabi’s world-class status to showcase the abilities of their native talent rather than contracting international designers? And what message does that send to the local firms?