Masdar City’s Eco-Villa, a pioneering project incorporating water and energy-saving technologies, has now been completed and an Emirati family will soon take up residence in the prototype sustainable home.
The 405m2 house is the first villa to achieve a 4 Pearl rating according to the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council’s Estidama Pearl Building Rating System. It will use around 72% less energy and 35% less water than a typical comparably sized villa, displacing an estimated 63 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
The cost of construction is similar to that of a conventional home of the same size; its energy and water efficiency will also reduce running costs substantially. The four-bedroom property is expected to consume just 97 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per square metre.
With its 87 rooftop solar panels, the home is capable of supplying as much as 40,000 kWh of electricity to the national grid.
“People expect a sustainable design option to be more expensive, but our Eco-Villa concept challenges this misconception,” said Yousef Baselaib, executive director of sustainable real estate at Masdar.
“The Eco-Villa stays true to Masdar City’s principles of sustainable urban development in that it is cost-efficient, environmentally sensitive and culturally appropriate in both its design and function. Because of its energy and water-efficient design, residents of the Eco-Villa will receive significantly reduced power and water bills.”
After a family moves into the property, Masdar’s sustainability team will monitor the villa’s energy, water and waste management performance.