Eco friendly projects popular

The environmental impact of new buildings is becoming important as eco property investors increasingly seek out developments that lessen the impact of global warming.

But these kind of properties are also a good investment as more and more tourists and holiday home owners take environmental impact into account not just on how they travel but in choosing where they stay and what they buy.

This comes at a time when property developers are using the eco friendly aspect of their developments as a marketing plus. Bulgaria is set to open its first eco-hotel in 2009 which will conform to the relevant EU standards.

The world's first eco city is under construction on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It boasts it will be zero-carbon, zero-waste and car free. Buildings will be low energy with natural air conditioning towers and water from a solar powered de-salination plant.

Rosa del Mar on Cape Verde's Sal, is one of the very latest eco projects. 'We have designed the apartments to almost exclusively use passive cooling systems over-and-above air-conditioning. Solar chimneys will offer natural ventilation and air-flow without recycling stale air,' said Michael Earle of Costa del Sol architect studio Diseño Earle, one of the leading international firms of eco friendly architects.

'Rosa del Mar will be capped with photovoltaic panels to generate a large amount of the power required in the homes therefore producing a very low carbon footprint, he added. 'All buildings of the future have no excuse but to consider photovoltaic panels, particularly in a sun-kissed environment such as Cape Verde.'

In Thailand Greencore Co Ltd is building Sitara Village, a development designed with the environment in mind. They have introduced height restrictions to limit the visual impact and maintain the natural beauty of Thong Nai Pan Noi.

All the villas are being constructed to incorporate environmentally friendly features such as grey-water recycling and solar energy systems. Alternative transport will be promoted via means of quad-bikes and a non-profitable Sitara bicycle scheme. The local community is also getting involved in Sitara Village through an organic farm-café project using locally grown organic produce. With the needs of the local community in mind, Greencore intend to use the planned Sitara Village community facility to improve educational opportunities for both residents and the wider local community.

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