Path Towards Sustainable Living

Sustainability is such a subjective concept. How has this community perceived it? And what measures have you used to achieve a sustainable future?

The city is designed according to the three pillars of sustainability: social, environmental, and economic. It embraces the concept of “living locally” in a fully integrated, net-zero energy (NZE), and vibrant community offering a unique and sustainable lifestyle. The city is 100% solar-powered and features electric mobility solutions, including charging stations for electric vehicles and 2.4km of routes dedicated to electric autonomous vehicles.

Smart home automation and energy-efficient HVAC, electrical fittings, and appliances also reduce energy consumption, and solar PV cells are installed on all villa rooftops and built-up areas to achieve an offset of up to 50% on energy usage, thus reducing carbon emissions. With the addition of efficient water-saving appliances and fittings, the residential properties of SSC are projected to deliver savings of up to 50% on electricity and water bills for residents.

There is 100% recycling of waste and water on-site, with all waste being utilized to create a circular economy. A biogas plant treats organic waste (food waste, green waste, and sludge) and converts a waste problem into a resource (electricity and/or thermal energy), whilst residues from the biogas plant will be dried and used as fertilizer for landscaping and vertical farming on site.

A Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) will treat wastewater to produce Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) for landscape irrigation, achieving 100% water recycling, and avoiding carbon emissions associated with tankers, as well as the need for increased capacity from local utility providers.

Comment on the evolving nature of the end-user. Their expectations, what do they look for when they adopt these sustainable strategies in their living conditions.

I believe we are reaching a tipping point in the drive to incorporate ESG into the global economy. Governments and industries around the world are starting to realize that the economic harm caused by climate change and pollution far outweighs the costs of shifting to more sustainable practices.

Populations are starting to realize this too, and people are looking for more sustainable answers to their everyday needs. We are seeing more electric and hybrid vehicles on the road, and people are looking to install solar PV in their homes to reduce their energy bills. Like electric cars are going to become the industry standard by the end of this decade, I believe sustainable property development will also become prevalent, and projects like SSC will be ahead of the curve. Rather than having to retrofit properties, houses that come as standard with solar PVC and energysaving technology and design will be the most soughtafter by homebuyers.