Masdar City has inaugurated Central Park, its new community amenity. The park was launched at ‘The Festival’ and is said to be designed to achieve Abu Dhabi’s first Exemplar rating under the Estidama Pearl Community Rating System (PCRS).
According to a report by WAM, The Festival is open to members of the public and aims to teach people more about sustainability and making more environmentally aware decisions.
Central Park has been designed to reflect the four principles of the Estidama system – economic, environment, social and cultural. It is said to be built to the highest sustainability standards to reduce energy and water consumption, construction and operational waste and carbon emissions for materials used in the park.
“The Festival is the highlight community event of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and we are delighted to be able to host it in Central Park, our newest sustainability-focused amenity. Masdar City is focused on pedestrians and this vision continues with this new development, which aims to promote active living and healthy lifestyles while encouraging social interaction, engagement and walkability. Central Park is a reflection of Masdar City’s continued commitment to innovation, development and acceptance of all cultures, and it is fitting that we inaugurate the park as the country begins its preparations for our half centenary,” said Yousef Baselaib, executive director, Sustainable Real Estate, Masdar.
The park’s conservation measures include the collection of organic, green-cut and biodegradable waste material for onsite landscaping and the inclusion of native and adaptive drought- and salt-tolerant plants. The park is said to have achieved 80% shading for primary pathways and 100% shading over playgrounds, improving the outdoor thermal comfort of the park. Energy for lighting comes from renewable sources such as photovoltaic panels.
According to Masdar City, the park’s landmark feature is its fog harvesting tower, which will collect humidity to supplement the water-efficient irrigation system feeding the urban farming areas. Organic waste and landscape waste from the park will also be converted to compost for use in the park’s landscaping.