ADMAF has announced the winners of the TotalEnergies Sustainability Design Award 2023.
Sara Ali Mahmoud and Mariam Hisham Al Qasim, students at the American University of Sharjah, secured the award with their ‘Temporary City Project’.
Speaking about the award, Her Excellency Huda Ibrahim Alkhamis, the founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation, said: “This award is a translation of our shared vision on the priority of climate action and preserving natural resources as key pillars of sustainability, especially after the success achieved by the country in hosting COP28 and signing the historic UAE Global Sustainable Climate Action Agreement.”
Her Excellency said that the win for the ‘Temporary City Project’ by Sara Ali Mahmoud and Mariam Hisham Al Qasim, reflects the determination to address the challenges of climate change and sustainability.
“It provides a bright picture of environmental awareness among young Emiratis and underscores the importance of working towards enhancing environmental and social sustainability in our local community,” she added.
The “Makeshift City” winning project, it was shared, envisions a community harnessing surplus resources to enhance the well-being of lower-income residents.
The proposal suggests that governmental service providers, exemplified by SEWA (Sharjah Electricity, Water, and Gas Authority), establish community centres within district sub-stations.
These centres would offer essential services such as drinking water and electricity, along with communal amenities like bathing facilities, laundry rooms, and spaces for farming, recreation, and leisure.
In a symbiotic relationship, it was explained, the utility company gains from a new drinking water treatment plant, supported financially by commercial rental incomes from the community centre.
The winning submission was selected through a rigorous evaluation process, and will be prominently displayed in one of the Abu Dhabi Festival venues in 2024.