Sharjah’s Nasma Residences developed with sustainability in mind
Nasma is ARADA’s first development, and will offer more than 800 units
Sustainability was one of the crucial elements in the design plans for Sharjah’s Nasma Residences, according to Elie Mrad, head of architecture at property developer ARADA.
Speaking to Middle East Consultant, Mrad said “you can’t ignore the sustainable issue”, and highlighted that of the development’s 5,000,000sqft, approximately 40% is set aside as green space.
Mrad works for Sharjah-based property developer ARADA. Phase one of the Nasma development was launched on March 21, while phase two was launched on May 11.
“We focused on making sure living spaces were naturally lit, and cleverly ventilated, which means you reduce power consumption in terms of lighting and air-conditioning. I’m pleased that we were also able to overachieve in terms of the backyard for the villas. We created more green spaces for each villa, and there’s plenty of green spaces in the urban space of Nasma as well,” explains Mrad.
Nasma Residences’ community elements include a 13-acre destination park, two smaller community parks, a mall, a mosque, a clubhouse, an international school, a nursery and a medical clinic.
ARADA plans to appoint a contractor for the project in July, and says that work will commence as soon as a firm has been appointed. Phase one of the project is scheduled for completion in October 2018, while the community areas are expected to be completed in mid-2019.
Mrad adds, “I approach sustainability in two ways, by choosing the building orientation and the building skin carefully. If you think about human beings, we wear clothes to match the conditions and environment – we have flexibility to change clothes. With buildings, we have to put the right ‘clothes’ on the building right from the start, since they can only have one set of clothes through their lifetime. You have to consider the right skin, the right orientation, the right materials and the right place.”
ARADA was officially launched in January of this year, and is a joint venture between Basma Group and KBW Investments.
