Eco-innovation

Eco-Innovation at Sabina

With an ‘Excellent’ pre-qualification for BREEAM®, Sabina will become the first residential development in Spain to attain this distinction and one of the first in Europe. This certification as ‘Excellent’ signifies the highest levels of commitment to sustainability through ten categories including water preservation, use of local materials, energy efficiency, health and welfare, waste management, management of resources, efficient transportation, sustainable land use, pollution reduction, and use of innovation in technology.

Water preservation

All of the villas are built to accommodate the latest innovations in water preservation. This includes systems that limit the flow and pressure of the faucets and kitchen taps, a rainwater collection system and an innovative double drain system that uses this and other grey water in the toilets. The rainwater will also be used for the pools and irrigation system for all the planting on the estate.

In addition, on 29th January 2019, Sabina lead the initiative that signed an agreement with The City of Sant Josep to create a constitution of responsible irrigators in the Cala Tarida community. This foundation, of which Sabina presides, is made up of the council itself, hotel companies and the communities of owners. The treated water will be used for public parks and to clean the streets as well as irrigate gardens at hotel facilities and several developments in the area. Sabina and the private entities that are part of the irrigation community will be responsible for the necessary infrastructure to connect the sewage treatment plant with the irrigation facilities, as well as for its maintenance.

Energy efficiency

All thirteen of the Villas in Phase one of the development have received Energy Certificates rated A, as established by the regulations of the Technical Building Code in Spain, the highest achieved for this type of villa. This certifies the low CO2 emissions per year of all its facilities, as well as the low consumption of energy resources.

Each home has been carefully constructed to make best use of natural light. Glass walls which are designed to take advantage of the views and the Mediterranean climate, also feature energy-efficient, high-performance air chambers with solar control and low emissivity to ensure a high thermal isolation of the entire building. Where needed, high performance lamps, with low energy consumption, is used.

The air conditioning and heating of the villas are controlled by advanced geothermal technology which takes advantage of the thermal energy generated and stored in the earth to heat and cool the homes. This reduces the need for high-cost energy consumption and ensures that pollutants such as coolant are avoided. The villas also use a digital control system which allows for different temperatures in each room to achieve a thermal balance throughout the home and avoids excessive heating or cooling. This system is also employed to regulate the temperate in the swimming pools and this, in turn, provides energy to the system for natural air conditioning.

Sabina also uses a highly efficient double flow ventilation system to ensure air quality. This extracts stale air in wet rooms (such as the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry rooms etc) and filters this for use in the dry rooms (living room, dining room, bedrooms etc). This system also has recoveries, which in winter enables the use of calories (hot air) from the extracted air to bring it to the air conditioning system. In summer the air that enters is cooled by the air recovery, with a recovery capacity of 90%.

Use of local materials & waste management

Local and sustainable materials have been used throughout the development and construction phase. An advocate of good environmental practice and a promoter of health & well-being in the home, Sabina has eliminated any polluting materials that could harm health and replaced them by those that, like wood have recognised stamps which guarantee good environmental practices. (e.g: all the wood used has the following sustainable certificates F.S.C. & P.E.F.C.)

All of the works in the preliminary phase of construction at Sabina, as well as during the construction process, is being monitored by an Environmental Control system. The team works closely with an accredited ecologist, as well as accredited companies internationally recognised for their environmental commitment, to analyse the impact of erosion and take the necessary steps to protect this, to best recycle the materials left over from the construction and also to ensure the safe disposal of the more harmful by-products.

All the earth extracted on the site has been re-processed and re-used in various forms in the development including the formation of layers of filtering gravels, topsoil for gardens and plant coverings, and limestone in the lining of the walls of terraces and interiors of the villas.

Landscaping

Landscape designer Andrea Sanchez is committed to using local and indigenous planting and the finest natural materials including stone and wood to both respect the environment and deliver on privacy. Ancient olive trees, indigenous Sabina and pine trees, and local grasses are prevalent throughout the site, complemented by flowering shrubs and trees known to thrive in the Balearics. The use of native vegetation ensures integration with the local landscape, carries a considerable saving of water and provides thermal insulation of the villas.

“We are very proud of our commitment to building one of the most eco-innovative private developments in Europe” says Anton Bilton, co-founder of Sabina Estates. “We wanted to achieve this without compromising on beauty and design. This balance between nature, design and technology is only possible through sustainable construction. It is the demand for this, coupled with continued tough legislation in Europe that has led to a progressive increase in the number of certified projects like Sabina. We are delighted to be setting the bar for the future in the luxury real estate industry.”

About BREEAM®

BREEAM® (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is the world’s longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of buildings. More than 250,000 buildings have been BREEAM-certified and over a million are registered for certification – in more than fifty countries worldwide.

BREEAM® is an assessment using scientifically based Sustainability metrics and indices that covers a range of environmental issues. Its categories evaluate energy and water use, health and wellbeing, pollution, transport, materials, waste, ecology and management processes. Buildings are rated and certified on a scale of ‘Pass’, ‘Good’, ‘Very Good’, ‘Excellent’ and ‘Outstanding’. It is carried out by independent, licensed assessors.

It works to raise awareness amongst owners, occupiers and designers of the benefits of taking a sustainability approach. It helps them to successfully adopt sustainable solutions in a cost effective manner, and provides market recognition of their achievements. It aims to reduce the negative effects of construction and development on the environment.