Green city in the desert

Masdar will be a zero carbon, zero waste city in oil-rich Abu Dhabi and will lead as an example for sustainable living

In the deserts of Abu Dhabi, a new city will take shape over the next seven years, one that is new in every way. Called Masdar City, the urban area enclosed in city walls will be the world’s first zero carbon, zero waste, car-free settlement, and will set new global standards in sustainable development. On completion in 2015, the city will have a residential population of 47,500 people and daily commuters numbering around 60,000.

Computer generated picture of Masdar from the air

As far as possible, the city will be entirely self-sustaining. Photovoltaic cells will supply the city’s electricity. Water from desalination plants will be recycled after use to irrigate farms. In a carefully planned expansion, the surrounding land will contain energy farms, research fields, plantations and dense green spaces. And in one of the world’s major oil producing countries, the city will be completely free of fossil-fuels.

Even the city’s walls have been aligned and constructed using traditional planning principals to make the best use of shade and wind of Abu Dhabi’s prevailing temperature and solar cycles. The walls themselves will house the energy, environmental and recycling services.

Sustainable living
The city has been designed according to the principals of "One Planet Living" (OPL). This is a set of ten guiding principals of sustainability, proposed in a joint initiative by WWF and Bioregional Development, whereby everyone lives within their fair share of the Earth’s resources.

The initiative is being led and funded by Masdar, part of the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC), an organisation of the UAE government. Masdar means "The Source" in Arabic.

In April 2006 the emirate of Abu Dhabi took an innovative decision to embrace renewable and sustainable energy technologies. It established its leadership as the first major hydro-carbon producing nation to do so by launching Masdar, a global co-operative platform for open engagement in the search for solutions to some of mankind’s most pressing issues: energy security, climate change, and truly sustainable human development.

Masdar has already won international plaudits. On 24 September, for example, it was named "Sustainable city of the year" at the Euromoney and Ernst & Young Renewable Energy Awards 2007. A large group of consultants led by UK architects Foster & Partners has been commissioned to design the city’s first phase and draw up sustainable strategies for its inhabitants.

Shaded streets and squares will be pedestrianised
in car-free Masdar

Norman Foster says: "The environmental ambitions of the Masdar Initiative – zero carbon and waste free – are a world first. They have provided us with a challenging design brief that promises to question conventional urban wisdom at a fundamental level. Masdar promises to set new benchmarks for the sustainable city of the future."

Foster & Partners commissioned WSP to develop the sustainable infrastructure strategy in the design stage of the project, which was scheduled for completion in November. CH2m Hill has been appointed as programme manager. Also involved in the project is ETA, for design of renewable energy, Transsolar for environmental design guidance, Cyril Sweett for cost consultancy, and Systematics for transportation consultancy.

Clean technology companies will be housed in the city, as well as a Masdar Institute of Science and Technology established in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. There will be world-class laboratories and commercial space for related sector companies, light manufacturing facilities and a carefully selected pool of international tenants who will invest, develop, and commercialise advanced technologies.

Masdar’s chief executive officer Sultan Al Jaber says: "By attempting to be the first carbon neutral city in the world, Masdar is demonstrating its commitment to change the way the world understands energy and sustainable resource utilisation. One day all cities will be like this."

Design and construction
The six million square metre development has been designed around two squares, and will be built in three phases. It will have shaded walkways and narrow streets to create a pedestrian friendly environment in the context of Abu Dhabi’s extreme climate.

The first phase of the city is expected to be completed in 2009. It will include all major elements of infrastructure, like ADFEC Headquarters, Masdar’s own university, and a large photovoltaic power plant, which will be the main source of energy to power the city. During the second phase, the larger square will be completed, and during the third phase, the smaller square. The development should be completed by 2015.

Photovoltaic and zero carbon electricity generation will begin with a temporary power plant on site to power zero carbon heavy machinery during construction. As the city nears completion, the photovoltaic panels will be transferred to permanent structures within the city.

Apart from the large photovoltaic power plant, Masdar will have several other sources of power. These will include a solar thermal plant using parabolic troughs that focus the sun’s rays to convert water into steam for a turbine. Outside the city, there will be further photovoltaic plants and also wind farms.

In support of the OPL principal of zero-waste, WSP has developed an innovative strategy to recycle municipal solid waste and convert organic waste material into gas. In turn, this will power a gas-fuelled engine to generate electricity. WSP has also developed a water strategy that involves sea-water and ground-sourced brackish water desalination to provide potable water for home use, the treatment of the waste water, and then the reuse of this water for toilet flushing and irrigation.

In keeping with its zero-carbon mission, the city will be car-free and completely pedestrianised. Numerous car parks outside the city will cater for commuters and visitors. For those inhabitants who commute daily from the city, there is a light rail transit (LRT), an overland train that runs from Abu Dhabi city centre to the international airport, stopping at Raha Beach, a popular resort development just outside Masdar, and at Masdar itself. Apart from the LRT, Masdar will be linked to surrounding communities as well as the centre of Abu Dhabi and the international airport by a network of existing road and public transport routes.

The labyrinthine network of streets and alleyways inside the city walls will mandate walking. Pedestrians can also take advantage of a personalised rapid transport (PRT) system, a world first. Small, electric driverless vehicles that carry up to six passengers at a time will offer a choice of designated destinations throughout the city. Outside the city, the Masdar initiative is investing further in photovoltaics and concentrating solar power (CSP). The project includes a world-scale polysilicon factory in Abu Dhabi, which will provide the feedstock for additional activities such as PV cell and module manufacturing.

With regards to CSP, Masdar has contracted the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to conduct a comprehensive solar energy resource assessment to evaluate the potential for large-scale CSP projects in Abu Dhabi. Alongside this, Masdar, supported by the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority, has commissioned Germany’s Fichtner to provide technical advisory services and the German Aerospace Agency to provide evaluation for the first major CSP plant to be built into the region. The plant would feed into the national electricity grid, and create opportunities for peak power "shaving".

"CSP offers considerable potential for Abu Dhabi to become a leader in clean renewable energy, due to the extensive local sunshine conditions as well as the maturity of the technology," Al Jaber says. ADFEC is now developing close relationships with governments that are promoting and developing solar technologies. These relationships are helping Masdar to accelerate its learning curve by joining forces with global solar industry leaders.

Complementing ADFEC solar projects is the Masdar Research Network (MRN). This is funding advanced solar research and development together with six world-class research institutes in North America, Europe and Japan. The research focus includes thin-film photovoltaics, spherical PV, beam-down solar towers and thermal storage for solar power.

The research activities of the MRN are instrumental in Masdar's creation of a research & development culture in Abu Dhabi and in providing unparalleled opportunities for talented UAE researchers. Masdar’s overriding goal is to create an historic, global shift to new energy sources and sustainable resource utilisation. Specific energy targets include sequestering up to 100 million tonnes of CO2 through Masdar’s carbon unit by 2015, and building approximately 1.5GW of zero-emission clean power capacity in Abu Dhabi by 2015.