Pearl Building Rating System

The aim of the Pearl Building Rating System (PBRS) is to promote the development of sustainable buildings and improve quality of life. Achievement of a sustainable building requires the integration of the four pillars of Estidama together with a collaborative and inter-disciplinary approach to building development known as the Integrated Development Process. The PBRS encourages water, energy and waste minimization, local material use and aims to improve supply chains for sustainable and recycled materials and products.

An Executive Council Order of May 2010 states all new buildings must meet the 1 Pearl requirements starting in September 2010, whilst all government funded buildings must achieve minimum 2 Pearls. Following this mandate, significant effort has been made to align the PBRS with the Abu Dhabi Development and Building Codes.

The PBRS is applicable to all building typologies, their sites and associated facilities, including hospitals, warehouses, industrial buildings, laboratories and hotels. In essence, any building constructed for permanent use and that is air-conditioned must meet the PBRS requirements. Please refer to Information Bulletin #3 for further guidance.

Within each credit, applicability and/or alternative specific requirements may be specified for the following building typologies:

• Office: applies to offices and associated spaces such as meeting rooms, reception/waiting areas, staff facilities, server rooms, corridors, toilets, print rooms, store rooms and plant rooms.

• Retail: applies to display and sale of goods, food retail (supermarkets, convenience stores), food preparation (restaurants, cafés, takeaways) and service providers (banks, post offices, travel agencies). This category also includes shopping centers, department stores and retail parks. It does not include isolated single use warehouse-type retail developments.

• Multi-Residential: applies to multi-family residential developments greater than three stories above grade. All villas must be assessed using the Pearl Villa Rating System (PVRS).

• School: applies to primary schools, secondary schools, sixth form colleges and further and higher education/vocational colleges and institutions.

• Mixed Use: applies to combinations of two or more of the above usage categories. Where relevant, individual credit calculations should be based on an area-weighted average.

All buildings intending to achieve a PBRS rating will be evaluated by the UPC. Nonetheless, the building must be registered with the appropriate Municipality and follow the building permit process. Project teams planning to submit an application for Pearl Rating should follow the process and instructions outlined here.

Pearl Building Rating System & Guides

• The Pearl Building Rating System

  This document contains all credit intents, requirements, relevant calculations and methodological information, design and construction submittal requirements and any relevant reference standards.

• PBRS Submittal Guide

  This guide explains how to use the PBRS submittal templates.

• PBRS RE-R1 Energy Prescriptive Pathway Guide

  The Energy Prescriptive Pathway is an alternative approach to energy modelling that can be used by design teams to comply with RE-R1. It is only applicable to buildings with a gross floor area (GFA) of 5000m² or less. Building projects that exceed 5000m² and wish to undertake the prescriptive compliance option should approach the Estidama team at the UPC prior to commencing the design submission.

  The Prescriptive Pathway Guide document provides a summary of the requirements relating to envelope, systems, lighting, HVAC and renewables to help design teams complete the Energy Prescriptive Pathway Template provided below.

• Consultants Guide

  The 1 Pearl Building Guide for Consultants provides detailed recommendations for achieving the required credits of the Pearl Building Rating System throughout the design process.

Pearl Building Rating System Calculators

• PBRS Energy Model Template

  The energy model template is an excel file that enables design teams to summarise model details and overall energy performance in order to demonstrate compliance with the mandatory provisions of RE-R1 and optional requirements of RE-1 and RE-6 in the Pearl Building Rating System.

• PBRS RE-R1 Energy Prescriptive Pathway Template

  The Energy Prescriptive Pathway Template is an excel file that enables design teams that don't wish to undertake energy modeling to demonstrate compliance with RE-R1. It is only applicable to buildings with a gross floor area (GFA) of 5000m² or less. Building projects that exceed 5000m² and wish to undertake the prescriptive compliance option should approach the Estidama team at the UPC prior to commencing the design submission.

  For further guidance please refer to the guide provided above.

• PBRS Water Calculator

  This spreadsheet based calculation tool is to be used as part of the submission for the required credit, PW-R1. It is also to be used for those projects pursuing PW-1, PW-2.1, PW-2.2 and PW-2.3 optional credits. The tool will automatically determine if the required credit is achieved and the number of credit points obtained for any optional credits the project has pursued.

• PBRS Water Calculator for Mosques

  This spreadsheet based calculation tool is to be used for Mosque projects as part of the submission for the required credit, PW-R1 and optional credits PW-1, PW-2.1, PW-2.2 and PW-2.3. The tool will automatically determine if the required credit is achieved and the number of credit points obtained for any optional credits the project has pursued.

• PBRS Waste Calculator

  This spreadsheet based calculation tool is to be used as part of the submission for the required credits SM-R2 and SM-R3. It is also to be used for those projects pursuing SM-13, SM-14 and SM-15 optional credits. The tool will automatically determine if the required credits are achieved and the number of credit points obtained for any optional credits the project has pursued.

• PBRS Scorecard

  This spreadsheet tool lists all the PBRS credits and is to be used by project teams to track project implementation of the Pearl Rating System.

Pearl Building Rating System Templates

• PBRS Submittal Template (1 Pearl Projects)

  This is a compressed folder archive and spreadsheet based submittal template system for projects aiming to achieve 1 Pearl.

• PBRS Submittal Template (2 to 5 Pearl Projects)

  This is a compressed folder archive and spreadsheet based submittal template system for projects aiming to achieve 2 to 5 Pearls.

  Project teams must submit all the supporting documentation, calculations, drawings, specifications, etc. using these templates for review by either the Municipality or the UPC.