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I am both a curious man and an architect. As such, I am always looking for new ideas and concepts anywhere they might appear. Masdar City caught my eye for a couple of reasons. First, it is in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where the firm I worked for in the 70's designed a number of projects. Second, like the new tallest building in the world under construction in China, it incorporates some really innovative “new old design concepts” – this time to address the desert climate.
According to Masdar City's website, “One of the most sustainable communities on the planet, Masdar City is an emerging clean tech cluster that offers a creative and entrepreneurial atmosphere where businesses can thrive and innovation can flourish, in part because the city itself serves as a model of what green urban development can be. This is especially the case because Masdar City is being designed and operated to provide the highest quality of life with the lowest environmental footprint – all in a manner that is commercially viable.”
The masterplan for the new city was designed by the renowned UK design firm Foster + Partners, and the initial construction includes a team of international design and construction firms. According to the information, “With six buildings completed, the 6 [square kilometer] Masdar City is already operational, with additional buildings coming online in by the end of 2012 and tripling the current size. At full build-out by 2025, the city is expected to have 40,000 residents and 50,000 commuters. When completed, the cost for the development is estimated to be in the range of $18-19 billion USD.
You can learn more about the concepts for the development at the Masdar City website.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
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