Estidama, Aldar unveil design contest for students

Abu Dhabi: Estidama, the sustainability initiative of the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC), the agency responsible for the future of Abu Dhabi's urban environments, and real estate developer Aldar Properties have launched the first Estidama Fareej Design Contest for university students in the UAE.

The contestants will be bound by guidelines pertaining to the construction of villas issued by Estidama during Cityscape Abu Dhabi in April. University students in architecture, urban planning, engineering and related disciplines will apply the lessons of sustainable design and construction to design a sustainable Emirati villa integrated in a traditional neighbourhood - Al Fareej.

Al Fareej is the smallest unit of Emirati communities and basically comprises a group of homes large enough to accommodate an extended Emirati family clustered around a courtyard or park.

University teams can register for the contest by completing an online registration form on www.estidama.org/fareejdesigncontest by September 24.