Tecnical Information:

Project: Masdar City - The Sustainable City

Year: 2006 (project) - 2016 (construction)

Area: 6 km²

Budget: €14 billions

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Architect: Foster + Partners (with Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture)

Masdar City is located around 16 km from Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, has around 6 km², capacity for over 100.000 people and was planned to be self-sufficient.

Goals:

- Zero carbon emissions;

- Zero waste;

- Water production reduced by 75%;

- 80% Water recycled;

- 100% Renewable energy.

Situated in the desert, where temperatures exceeds 20 degrees Celsius in the Winter, and are between 30-40 degrees Celsius in the Summer, this city is constructed to minimize waste.

The buildings in ocher, darker than the sand that surrounds the city, or gray are constructed providing shade to each other (hence the streets are narrow) but without impeding natural light.

The low-carbon development has an integral role in transforming Abu Dhabi’s economy from an oil foundation to a knowledge-and-innovation base by serving as a centralized test bed for global renewable-energy and technology companies.

The city itself is designed to maximize convenience and reduce environmental impacts.

Nearly all of the electricity in Phase 1 is offset from a 10 MW solar photovoltaic plant and an array of building-mounted solar panels, reducing the need for power produced by fossil fuels.

About Masdar Clean Energy

Masdar has committed more than €1.4 billion to renewable energy developments worldwide with investments delivering nearly 1GW of clean power.

In the UAE, Masdar Clean Energy projects include: Shams 1, a 100MW concentrated solar power project with Abengoa Solar and Total in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi; Masdar City’s 10MW solar PV array in Abu Dhabi, as well as Masdar City’s 1MW rooftop installations. In addition, plans for a 100MW photovoltaic plant in Al Ain are at an advanced stage, as is the development of a 30MW onshore wind farm on Sir Bani Yas island.

Masdar Clean Energy also strategically invests in the development of carbon capture and sequestration projects in the UAE that seek to simultaneously add value to the national economy while reducing industrial carbon emissions.

Masdar is also spreading its clean energy vision to projects across the region including a wind farm in the Seychelles; renewable projects in Tonga and Afghanistan that are being developed in response to the United Nation’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative; a 15MW Solar PV farm in Mauritania as well as several other regional projects currently in the development pipeline.

Internationally, Masdar Clean Energy has invested in the development of some of world’s highest-profile utility-scale renewable energy projects including: Torresol, a joint venture with SENER that operates 120MW worth of CSP plants in Spain; and the 630MW (Phase 1) London Array offshore wind farm in the Thames Estuary, a joint venture with DONG Energy an E.ON, that when completed will be the largest offshore wind farm in the world.

Streets maximize shade all day long, capturing cooling breezes, and reducing the need for air conditioning.

A mix of educational and recreational spaces, along with housing, retail, manufacturing and office spaces allow commuters and residents to find everything they need close at hand, reducing transport needs.

Buildings are densely populated, allowing for living and working in the same location. This reduces heating, cooling and internal transportation needs.

High-efficiency appliances, low-flow showers, a water tariff, smart water meters and treated waste-water that is recycled for plant irrigation ensure water conservation.

The ground-up approach that Masdar City has taken to ensure a sustainable and enjoyable way of life for residents demonstrates that environmental responsibility need not be a hardship.