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Bringing Sustainability and ‘Life Cycle Thinking’ to City of Dreams Mediterranean (Part One)

by | April 7, 2021 | BREEAM, Uncategorized

City of Dreams Mediterranean is Cyprus’ first integrated casino resort, the only one of its kind in Europe. It is also expected to be the largest and premier integrated destination resort in Europe. It recently achieved BREEAM Excellent status at the design-stage, a first for a project in Cyprus. ADW Developments worked with ELEMEC GBC, based in Limassol, to help achieve this. We asked Anthony Waterman (AW), ADW’s Managing Director, to describe ADW’s role in the project.

How did you first become involved with the City of Dreams Mediterranean project?

AW: We were first introduced to the City of Dreams Mediterranean project in 2017 and were immediately impressed by the client Melco’s commitment to sustainability and desire to understand the long-term performance implications of different design options and material choices. We initially began working on the life-cycle costing aspects of the project via consultants ELEMEC GBC. They were keen to work together to introduce the latest sustainability and life cycle thinking to projects in Cyprus. Our role then developed to embrace other aspects of the project in support of its BREEAM rating. This included looking at the embodied carbon of different design strategies and how the design could consider different options for mitigating the effects of climate change

What do you think are the most striking features of the development?

AW: It is a very big, ambitious mixed-use scheme, however one that is sensitive to the local environment and history. The design vision is to create a modern interpretation of the hillside villages that adorn Cyprus and the coastline of the Mediterranean. To achieve this, villa styled forms and landscaped gardens will cascade down from the central tower across the grounds of the property.

As a result, visitors and guests will enjoy the experience of staying in what feels like a tranquil Mediterranean village, and yet enjoys all the benefits of a very modern design. The resort will also be an exemplar of sustainable development with the design aiming to optimise orientation and shading, and with systems that conserve and recycle energy and water. 

The developer had an ambition of achieving BREEAM Excellent for the project. Were there any aspects of ADW’s work that were particularly challenging?

We have previous experience of projects in the Mediterranean and Middle East region which has helped considerably. This experience includes projects seeking BREEAM certification, also LEED and Estidama certification ratings. Local climate, regulations and building practices can vary and it is important to take these into account. Balancing these against the desire to bring in international best practice is probably the biggest challenge in a project of this type.

What aspect of ADW’s involvement are you most proud of?

AW: We have been employed as specialist advisor addressing the life cycle costing, life cycle assessment, climate change adaptability, functional adaptability and material efficiency of the project. I am probably most proud of our ability to contribute in all of these areas which are making a real difference to the sustainability and long term performance of the design. Moreover, we have been able to bring these together into one holistic and integrated package. The project has now achieved a design-stage Excellent rating under BREEAM, with a score of 80.4%. This is the first time such a rating has been achieved by a development in Cyprus and we are proud to be part of the team achieving this.

In addition to playing a key role in the development achieving an Excellent rating, ADW will also be carrying out post-occupancy evaluation. Why is this important and what will this involve?

Post-occupancy evaluation will be tremendously valuable to the resort’s owners and operators, ensuring that the facility is operated at optimal level and any issues leading to inefficient performance are understood and dealt with. This is not just about the physical performance of the buildings. It is also about how occupants and users feel about the space. Whether it allows them to do their jobs effectively and of course, in the world of tourism and leisure, whether it provides customer satisfaction.

A development of this nature can be an exemplar for others in the region and the tourism sector as a whole and it is important that the learning from the project is shared. There is a real opportunity for City of Dreams Mediterranean to stand out as an exemplar not just in the way it is designed and constructed, but also in the way it shares the lessons of its operation and use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simon Guy
Simon Guy

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