Urban planners and stakeholders must redouble their efforts to embed sustainability and resilience into infrastructure planning over the coming decades, as more of humankind opts to live in cities, according to industry experts participating in a global summit in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking at the Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit being held in the Emirate on Tuesday, industry leaders noted that rapid urbanization would demand strategic alignment of international best practices on sustainable construction and energy efficiency.
But all the while, such efforts would need to remain cognizant of regional priorities which would be very different from country to country.
Mounir Haidar, managing partner at LEAD Development, a real estate development firm in the UAE, said: “Infrastructure planning, designing, and building is a collective journey taken by multiple stakeholders. It’s not a one size fits all scenario.
“It would need collaboration in many forms, from public private partnerships to partnerships between various private sector developers, and a consortium of private entities with the public sector.”
For Carlos Wakim, chief executive officer of Bloom Holding, another UAE developer such a level of collaboration is mission critical because the ultimate goal of any and every urban housing developer is not to merely stack up bricks and mortar but to “develop communities.”
“This has to be done by consent because human beings are social creatures. We look to develop whole communities not just dwellings with resilience to climate factors and sustainability at the heart of the process. It is something every residential developer in the world needs to be aware of.”
That can only be achieved with the collaboration of multiple stakeholders including energy sector developers and suppliers. For electricity is the most critical infrastructural aspect of embedding both resilience and sustainability in urban construction, said Abdulaziz Alobaidli, Chief Operating Officer, Masdar, the UAE’s global flagship developer and operator of utility-scale renewable energy projects, community grid projects, and energy services.
“Energy is the backbone of modern human civilization. Its arguably in many ways where building resilience and sustainability must start. We view it as an immense opportunity as part of our mandate. Masdar is actively building global grid resilience by expanding its renewable energy portfolio and incorporating energy storage solutions.”
These include large-scale solar projects with battery energy storage systems, which enhance grid stability and enable 24-hour power supply. “Currently, we are developing projects in over 40 countries across six continents, with an aim of achieving a 100GW renewable energy portfolio by 2030.
“We are also focused on energy efficiency in building design and wider collaboration with urban developers. Neither we nor them can take the next step in isolation which is why industry-wide collaboration is essential. Masdar has proven to the world that renewable energy can be competitive compared to conventional fuels when servicing the energy needs of the planet and we seek allies in that effort.”
Technology Is A Huge Driver
Alobaidli also said his sector was increasingly turning to artificial intelligence, including its use to optimize asset management and predict potential issues. In fact, the deployment of AI, predictive modelling and digital twins of project sites is spreading across the infrastructure world.
“Infrastructure development is all about conviction, and getting the right resources at the right time. It’s about executing a vision at a competitive economic price – on time and on budget. Digital is firmly part of that operating ecosystem,” said Haidar, of LEAD Development.
Turkiye, a country known for the global footprint of its construction firms, is keenly eyeing AI and allied digital tools to improve both project margins, infrastructural benchmarks, sustainability and better post-completion efficacy, according to Fuat Kasimcan, secretary general of Turkish Contractors Association.
“Turkish construction firms are well known over the world. Since 1972, Turkish firms have been looking overseas and have built projects in 178 countries. Inevitably technology has become a huge driver of the business and the end-outcomes for some years now.
“But this goes beyond project delivery. For instance, the construction sector is one of the largest emitters of carbon monoxide and CO2. Technology is helping us both monitor as well as mitigate the industry’s carbon emissions.”
All four experts agreed that the road ahead for embedding sustainability and resilience into infrastructure planning would depend a lot on securing effective supply chains, establishing conformity standards and quality control, fortifying digital connectivity, and enhancing climate change mitigation measures into the building and construction process.