Masdar Headquarters

Christian commented...

That is an old article. The newspaper that published this news apologized the article since its incorrect. Masdar is living and kicking as before!

1 year ago

Rene commented...

Teknisk Ukeblad article (Norwegian)
Cancel gigantic environmental project
- The carbon neutral city of Masdar City will not be built, said the Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

Sheikhdom Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates would invest 22 billion to build Masdar City. The city, which was designed by the renowned British architect Lord Norman Foster, was driven solely by energy from solar, wind and waste.

Sun, wind and waste
82 percent of energy needs should be collected from solar energy, one percent from wind power and the remaining 17 percent would come from the composted food waste.

The city should be free of cars, and water consumption would be half of current consumption in Abu Dhabi. The first reason the work of the new Masdar City commenced in February, and it should have been completed in 2016.

But now, reports the Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi that the company Masdar finally collected by the financial realities and that it will not be set aside 20-22 billion as previously announced.

- The plans shelved
In a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Petroleum and Energy writes Special Envoy Gunnar Gjerde that one now sees that it will be possible to get 50 000 people to settle in the city in the wake of the financial crisis.

- In the future it might happen, but not by 2016. There is thus a slower development pace of Masdar city, and one concentrating now on development of the commercial section, it says in the letter.

Gjerde also affirm that the city will not be carbon neutral.

- They have also come to realize that the city will not be able to be carb-neutral. There is simply no technology that allows it. Based on this insight change, therefore the strategy, and would rather focus on selected technologies and do not go as wide as previously thought. One thinks also that the technologies to be applied in Abu Dhabi in general, and not just isolated to Masdar city, he writes.

Huge construction project
The project is now shelved had unusual dimensions. Six square miles of desert sand 30 kilometer outside the city of Abu Dhabi would be the construction site the next six years.

The city was 50 000 people and 1,500 small businesses and large multinational corporations to keep, and not from any point in the city should be more than 200 feet to a station for electric trains. The large energy company Masdar would also use CO2 capture as compensation for the CO2 emissions that occurred during the construction. In his speech writing Gjerde that there are many opportunities for Norwegian companies in renewable energy in Abu Dhabi.

But it may still be some opportunities in smart solutions for electricity networks, energy efficiency, solar cell production and carbon capture.

1 year ago

Christian added company Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture LLP
2 years ago

Christian commented...

Added a lot of high resolution renderings of both the main building and interior as well as the square with the umbrellas. Its worth seen.

2 years ago

Christian added an image

Christian edited "Added companies"
2 years ago

Christian commented...

added images

2 years ago

Christian added this project

Masdar Eco City Centre is the first construction piece in Abu Dhabi's dream city, the new 6 million square meter sustainable city development just southeast of the city of Abu Dhabi, near its airport. Its the world’s first zero carbon, zero waste city powered entirely by renewable energy sources.

At the center of Masdar we find Masdar Eco City Centre. Giant umbrellas, with a design based on the principles of sunflowers, will provide moveable shade in the day, store heat, then close and release the heat at night. The ‘sunflower umbrellas’ are one aspect of the winning design by the international practice Laboratory for Visionary Architecture [LAVA].

The solar powered ‘sunflower’ umbrellas capture the sun’s rays during the day, fold at night releasing the stored heat, and open again the next day. They follow the projection of the sun to provide continuous shade during the day and can be used anywhere in the world including deserts.

The building around the square is Masdar Headquarters and is designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. The headquarters will be the world’s first large-scale, mixed-use “positive energy” building, producing more energy than it consumes. Design plans for the headquarters include numerous systems that will generate a surplus of the building’s energy, eliminate carbon emissions and reduce liquid and solid waste. The complex will utilize sustainable materials and feature integrated wind turbines, outdoor air quality monitors and one of the world’s largest building-integrated solar energy arrays. Compared with typical mixed-use buildings of the same size, the Masdar Headquarters will reduce its water consumption by 70 percent.

In addition to being the first mixed-use net positive energy building in the world, AS+GG’s Masdar Headquarters will:

· Be the lowest energy consumer per square meter for a modern class A office building in an extremely hot and humid climate

· Feature one of the world’s largest building-integrated photovoltaic arrays

· Employ the largest solar thermal driven cooling and dehumidification system – the world’s lowest impact active building conditioning system

· Be the first building in history to generate power and protect workers during the construction process through a staged construction of the roof prior to the rest of the complex.

2 years ago

Christian added company Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company
2 years ago

Christian added company Laboratory for Visionary Architecture
2 years ago