Diamond Developers bring new era of ‘sustainable living’

Our Correspondent/ EMIRATES BUSINESS

The Sustainable City — the region’s first fully integrated sustainable metropolitan area, aims to make its citizens more than just tenants, but instead an integral component of its
day-to-day functioning.
The Sustainable City promotes its tenants as partners that benefit from its host of sustainable and energy-saving features. It is focused on rewarding its residents economically, from its revenue-sharing scheme’s Net Zero service & maintenance fees to its wealth of employment opportunities. In addition to the substantial savings of utility bills expected from energy efficient home design, use of eco-friendly building materials and solar panels, cash subsidies are available for the purchase of electric cars.
Faris Saeed is the CEO and co-Founder of Diamond Developers and a driving force in pioneering sustainable real estate developments in the region. Since establishing the company in 2003, Faris has led Diamond Developers in the conceptualisation and delivery of an impressive portfolio of premium developments, which became land marks of the city. Diamond Developers was one of the first companies in Dubai to enter the freehold property and real estate development industry when the Emirate introduced freehold property ownership in 2002.
His progressive vision and outstanding expertise in his field has enabled Diamond Developers to evolve as Dubai’s freehold industry matured beyond its early successes. Faris Saeed is the CEO and co-Founder of Diamond Developers said, “Social activities are essential for happy communal living and The Sustainable City places a priority on nature and green spaces. With nearly 60 percent of the city’s total area being green areas, there is huge scope for outdoor leisure activities. The city’s central green spine, Equestrian Centre, horse, bicycle, walking and jogging tracks, have been designed to facilitate a high quality of life to be enjoyed by all. The green spaces enable plenty of interaction among the residents through an array of activities that have an emphasis on sustainability.”
“Education is another element that is vital to create a community that is inclusive, forward thinking and well-informed. The Sustainable City addresses this for all ages. There is a nature inspired ‘Green School’ from Kindergarten to Grade 6, a science museum, a planetarium and a Centre of Excellence – a major knowledge resource and
education centre,” he added.

Environmentally-friendly transport
The Sustainable City is pioneering the use of ‘smart mobility’ electric motoring that offers major advantages over driving using traditional petrol vehicles. Powered by battery packs that are charged from the grid, electric vehicles emit no tailpipe pollutants, meaning that they are kinder to the atmosphere. Such is the commitment to this new form of smart mobility that ecological community is offering at a very generous financial reward for its residents agreeing to purchase an electric vehicle. Under the scheme, anyone wishing to purchase an electric vehicle will be entitled to a cash bonus of up to AED 10,000, meaning that converting from petrol has never been a more attractive option from a financial as well as an ecological perspective.
Taking the initative to even further in its pursuit of environmentally-friendly transport, it is making electric ‘golf carts’ available for its residents to use for their travels within the community – an initiative that leads to even more savings through less wear and tear for their own vehicles. The developers offer each villa will have their own cart which they can drive anywhere in the city’s environs.
Also when the cart not in use, the cart plugs into solar powered parking lot charging stations, so the carts uses renewable energy, leading to zero pollution. In turn, this will lead to a greener and cleaner environment, better energy and water conservation.
In short, The Sustainable City is destined to become a showcase model for what can be achieved when tenants are involved as partners and form the focus of its operations.