Overview
In present world, climate change, shortage of fresh water and an exponential energy crisis has drawn widespread attention. Facing the climate crisis and the threat of exhaustion of global energy resources, the United Arab Emirates plans to build a sustainable, zero-carbon, zero waste city called Masdar in the desert outside Abu Dhabi.
Location
The plan is to build a new city located in the desert eleven miles from of the city of Abu Dhabi. But subject to the desert climate, where the highest temperature in summer can reach up to 50 centigrade and there is no water resource or soil, it is a great challenge to achieve the zero carbon, zero waste quota stipulated by their initial aims.
Why MASDAR?
There are four reasons to build a sustainable city in Abu Dhabi. Firstly, it is to solve the energy requirements in the United Arab Emirates, using solar, thermal and wind energy in the desert. Secondly, the project comes into context of a rapidly increasing population and an economic boom in Abu Dhabi. New housing is therefore required to meet this growth. Thirdly the Masdar Initiative is looking to create a diverse economy in Abu Dhabi, by starting a new sustainable energy industry in Masdar, which literally means resource in Arabic. This project means the United Arab Emirates will be able to develop alternatives to oil reserves, on which the economy is based. Masdar city will make a substantial contribution to the Emirates economic development goals by attracting knowledge-economy companies and organizations to Abu Dhabi. Fourthly employment is at the heart of the development, creating new jobs for the expanding economy.
What is MASDAR?
Masdar has 5 integrated units:
1. Masdar city: an exemplar environmental and sustainable city for high quality living using new technologies.
2. Masdar Institute of Science and Technology: a key research and science centre of Masdar City, which focuses on the development of sustainable science and engineering. It provides technology support for the city development.
3. Utilities and Asset Management: the Utilities team focuses on renewable energy, which consists of solar power, photovoltaic, wind and waste-to -energy concentration development both locally and internationally.
4. Carbon Management: a carbon capture and storage system has been developed in order to drive the progress of low carbon economies around the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the world.
5. Industries: aim to build large-scale and clean energy project locally and internationally.
Goals
When completed, Masdar will totally rely on renewable resources. It will achieve a zero-waste, zero carbon city that will be home to 45,000 to 50,000 people and 1,500 businesses. In addition it aims to attract immigrants to settle down in the city and experts from multiple skill fields. It aims to incorporate all areas of development, including: transport, waste management, recycling sewage, food, green architecture, construction, industry material, biodiversity, climate change, renewable energy and green financial institution. It plans for 30% of the land to be used for residential purposes, 20% for commercial use, 24%for transport and facilities and the rest (10%) for new energy lab and display area.
The city will be built in two phase:
The first phase, located in the north west of the city, will be completed in 2015.
The area of 6.4 square kilometres will have 30% planned as residential space, 24% as office space, 13% as commercial space, 6% for schools, 19% for transport and 8% aim for culture and entertainment. It consists of, the Massachusettes Institute of Technology, Masdar Headquarters, hotel and conference centre, the retail district, residential, research and development facilities and innovation centres and offices. Alan Frost, Director of Masdar City, said: ‘On completion, in 2012, the Masdar Institute and the surrounding buildings will represent approximately 30% of the almost one million square meters of commercial, residential, retail and educational space to be constructed in Phase 1.’
The second phase provides another 45,000sqm of construction floor area and is comprised of seven new buildings: three lab buildings, three residential buildings, and a recreation and activities building that includes a swimming pool and a large multipurpose hall for conferences and concerts. This latter building will be the iconic structure of the Institute’s Phase II, much as the Knowledge Centre is the most architecturally dramatic building in Phase I.
Sustainable development
To make full use of environment cooling, the city has achieved the best way of lighting and shading streets and buildings, by orientating the streets southwest and northeast. Meanwhile the buildings imitate traditional Arabic architecture, height is limited to no more than five stories. For the sake of keeping out the hot desert wind and providing a cool and comfortable living environment, the compact high-density city is planned to be completely free of cars and combined with city perimeter wall which is stone-and-mud walls covered in photovoltaic panels. These allowed for narrow and shaded streets that help funnel cooler breezes across the city. Instead of motor vehicles, clean energy vehicles will provide transport within the city. The underground Light Railway transport system and personalized rapid transport system link the whole Masdar and adjacent developments, the airport, and Abu Dhabi.
Project management
The project was initiated in 2006 and was projected to cost US$22 billion by the Abu Dhabi government. Phase 1 is designed by a collaboration of the world’s foremost architects and planning firms and is being built by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company. Foster +Partners, which has developed the city’s master plan, has also designed the Masdar Institute campus, a complex structure that encompasses labs, student residences, classrooms and study and recreational facilities. The UK firm has also designed a number of Phase 1 residential and office buildings.
