In observance of President's Day, we are closed on Monday, February 19, 2024.

A sustainable city in Dubai has taken green construction to a whole new level with a net-zero energy development.

Dubai has long been a city that has taken modern construction methods to the next level. But a sustainable city in Dubai has taken green construction to a whole new level.

Karim El-Jisr from The Sustainable City Innovation Center is the director of the net-zero energy development, which puts sustainability at the core of every planning aspect.

Let’s start with the homes.

Every building is oriented to the north to maximize shade. In a country where summers are exceptionally hot, that has a massive impact on the need to use air conditioning.

According to the fullychargedshow, the planners also used UV reflective paint and windows as much as possible. This means that the buildings absorb less solar heat, again reducing the need for cooling.

To generate the majority of the electricity needs, you’ll notice many solar panels on all the roofs. But they also covered the parking spaces so that solar panels provide shade for cars.

And speaking of cars, every villa owner receives a subsidy for purchasing an electric vehicle and has access to plenty of dedicated charging stations.

The result is 10 megawatts of energy production.

Onsite water treatment uses eco-friendly processes that keep greywater separate and uses much of it to water food crops in the 11 bio-domes.

Surprisingly, by taking sustainability into account from the beginning of the planning, construction costs were about the same as traditional methods.

Hopefully, this will serve as a template for new city planning everywhere.

Watch the full video from the fullchargedshow below:


Chris is one of GreenCitizen’s writers who has been a long-time advocate of individual responsibility when it comes to the environment. He shares GreenCitizen's passion for making the world a better place every day of the year.

Subscribe to
our newsletter