ARADA has launched Aljada, a mixed-use mega-project in Sharjah. H.H. Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, flagged off the project on September 6. The project is worth AED 24 billion.

Speaking on the cooling approaches that will be adopted in the project, Ibrahim Al Nemeh, Head of Design at ARADA, said: “From an urban environment approach, we have introduced the linear park concept, combined with ‘sikkas’, and have ensured sufficient distances between buildings to ensure adequate wind channelling.

“Also, we have carefully examined the right ratio between the building height and open space depth and the building orientation to maximise self-shading. We will also focus on using materials that are heat-reflective rather than heat-absorbent. All of these factors will play a vital role on the cooling effect of the outdoor urban environment. For interior environments, the master-plan includes two major District Cooling utility plots that will accommodate the demand for the whole of Aljada.”

Al Nemeh further added that energy-efficient technologies would also be adopted in the project. “Sustainable and energy-efficient designs are certainly at the heart of ARADA’s development approach,” he said. “We will implement a number of different strategies, including a green rooftop strategy and energy-efficient LED street lighting. In addition, all the sub-stations on site will utilise the latest and most efficient technologies and will accommodate the full site demand, making the entire development self-sufficient in terms of energy consumption.”

Explaining how electricity will be supplied for the project, Al Nemeh said: “We will be working closely with the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA) to ensure that Aljada is a self-sufficient district in terms of energy consumption and infrastructure maintenance.

“The master-plan indicates that based on our projected gross-floor-area, the site will require two 132/33 kV substations and a number of 33/11 kV substations, in addition to varied mechanical installations allocated for maintenance.”

Al Nemeh further added that the project is slated for completion by 2025 and will span an area of 2.2 square kilometres.