Jumeirah Lakes Towers just might be Dubai's coolest neighbourhood – and it's got nothing to do with its array of restaurants, shimmering waters and high-rise towers.
Instead, it stems from how neighbourhood design – including how much vegetation there is – can limit temperature increases amid the all-year sunshine of the UAE.
Jumeirah Lakes Towers, more widely known as JLT, has been hailed as a prime example of a how a carefully planned district can benefit its community.
“The area boasts ample greenery, including landscaped parks and lakes, which play a crucial role in reducing ambient temperatures through shading and evapotranspiration [in which plants and the soil release water],” Dr Ansar Khan, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Calcutta in India, said.
Reimagining city living
Dr Khan and co-researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, published a study last month highlighting how the materials used on a building and in the neighbourhood around it affect how much energy is required for air conditioning.
They used computer modelling to analyse the effect on buildings in the built-up area of Downtown Dubai of changing the reflectivity of materials on roofs, walls and pavements, and altering the amount of vegetation.
If “cool” materials that reflect solar radiation and emit heat are used, the building can, Dr Khan said, better manage its temperature and reduce the urban heat island effect, in which built-up areas become hotter.
“The surrounding neighbourhood's design and materials can also impact the building's microclimate indirectly,” he added.
“For example, nearby structures, vegetation, and paving materials in the neighbourhood can affect the amount of solar radiation reflected or absorbed, thereby influencing the overall thermal environment of the building and its surroundings.”
Published in Energy and Buildings, the study showed that factors such as using reflective materials and having high levels of vegetation can reduce a building’s energy demand for cooling by as much as 36.4 per cent.
“Such a substantial reduction indicates the potential of combining increased vegetation fractions and cool materials to mitigate urban heat island effects and lower energy consumption in urban areas, particularly in extreme desert climates like Dubai downtown,” Dr Khan said.
“It underscores the importance of implementing sustainable and innovative solutions to address the challenges posed by urbanisation and climate change.”
He said incorporating cool strategies into neighbourhoods during in the design stage is ideal, and developers could be given incentives to do so.
However, existing areas can be “retrofitted” to make them more resistant to heating, for example by applying reflective coatings to roofs.
Planting trees or creating vegetation-covered green roofs and green walls can both reduce heating and improve air quality.
“Engaging residents and stakeholders in urban greening projects can foster community resilience and create shared spaces that promote well-being and environmental sustainability,” Dr Khan said.
Cutting energy use from air conditioning is seen as especially important in the UAE, because it accounts for as much as 70 per cent of the country’s electricity consumption.
The amount of energy used to cool internal spaces in the Middle East jumped from 25 terawatt hours to 125 terawatt hours between 1990 and 2016, a five-fold increase, according to World Bank figures.
Forecasts, also from the World Bank, indicate that the number of air conditioning units globally is set to triple by the middle of the century.
Why JLT is leading the way
At JLT, as well as its parks and lakes, the design of the buildings reduces heating, Dr Khan said.
“Many buildings in Jumeirah Lakes Towers are equipped with advanced cooling technologies and energy-efficient designs, such as insulated facades and reflective surfaces.
“These features work in tandem to minimise heat absorption and decrease the reliance on excessive air conditioning, thereby reducing overall cooling energy demand,” he said.
“Overall, Jumeirah Lakes Towers serves as a prime example of a well-planned neighbourhood in Dubai that successfully integrates scientific cooling strategies in its urban design, setting a benchmark for sustainable and comfortable living in the challenging desert climate,” he said.
The new study is the latest to demonstrate how cooling can be achieved by ways other than turning up the air conditioning.
In December researchers from the University of Sharjah revealed that air conditioning demand in a two-storey, three-bedroom villa could be cut by 40 per cent with better shading, ventilation and insulation.
Other research, from 2022, found that traditional UAE neighbourhoods, such as Al Fahidi in Dubai, with its high density of buildings, tended to be cooler during the hottest periods of the day than some more modern areas, such as low-rise parts of Jumeirah.
Two factors helping to keep Al Fahidi cool are its greater building height-to-width ratio compared to Jumeirah and its lower sky view factor, the amount of sky visible from the ground.
Company%20profile
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
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Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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4. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,705
5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 5,025
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,000 ( 1)
7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 2,945 (-1)
8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,670 ( 1)
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
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Sector: Entertainment
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
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Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
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Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster
Price, base: Dh708,750
Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 374hp (total)
Torque: 570Nm (total)
Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km
