Sustainability key for buyers

A survey has revealed that half of purchasers would now choose a property based on its environmental friendliness.

Nakheel, a leading Dubai developer, has uncovered the key factor when considering the purchase of a property by conducting a survey of potential real estate buyers.

Responses showed sustainability and how environmentally friendly a property is tops other factors that have historically been given priority, including the reliability of a developer, the location and prestige of the development.

The survey was undertaken following a month-long advertising campaign for the launch of Badrah, a district within Nakheel's Waterfront development.

A cross section of 400 respondents were questioned about which factors were important to them when buying a property as well as the impact of the advertising campaign. When questioned about what makes an ideal development the five most important characteristics were environmental friendliness, reputation, reliability, affordability and innovation.

Matt Joyce, managing director of Waterfront Nakheel, said: "In the past, quality has been one of the most important factors for potential customers.

"This is the first time we've seen environmental concerns come through this strongly. We are currently working to align our products and services even more closely with this growing demand.

"Waterfront has been designed, like all of Nakheel's projects, with sustainability at its heart. The district of Badrah has an emphasis on green open spaces and is being built as a self-sustainable community with a strong focus on reducing the consumption of energy and water. We see it as a city of the future and are delighted that there is a real demand for this type of development from end-users."

Fifty per cent said that the environmental friendliness of the project was the most defining element. Reliability was the second most influencing factor (47 per cent) followed by innovation and healthy living (both 43 per cent).

Badrah aims to meet the needs of the modern day family and provide an affordable option through intelligent design and value for money. It will be the first active gateway to Waterfront, an entirely new city master-planned from scratch in 'new Dubai'.

There are four distinct areas in Badrah, each connected by a central boulevard. Diaa has a high proportion of residential buildings and amenities; Talla has a larger mix of offices; Manara includes educational and civic amenities and Bahaa focuses on retail and leisure elements.

While designed with sustainability and affordability as key factors, Badrah will meet LEED (Leadership in Environmental Design Green Building Rating System) ratings performance standard as a minimum. This will result in lower maintenance and running costs as energy and water consumption is substantially decreased.

Architecture on the project blends modern forms that incorporate elements of traditional Arabic design and when completed the Badrah district will offer 45,000 homes.