A Day in Masdar City

By Ali Al Yousifi

Masdar Institute

Masdar City is a new development currently under construction in Abu Dhabi, UAE.  The London-based firm Foster + Partners are responsible for the urban planning of the city, and also the design of many of its buildings. At completion, which is set to occur between 2020 and 2025, Masdar City will be the first zero carbon, zero waste, all renewable energy city in the world [wikipedia]. I recently visited Masdar:

We drove through the main gate of the city. Signs guided us to a small visitors’ car park. From there we abandoned our car and started walking around. We were then only at the periphery of the city, but even from there I could sense that this place was different, the whole environment felt like a scientific experiment. Behind a small guards’ cabin were several rows of solar cell panels. A little further were an aligned set of white metal structures that (at least to me) looked like high-tech labs.

After a few minutes of walking we found a small electric car with a driver ready to take visitors to the city’s heart: Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, which is the only completed part of Masdar City. The driver took us to a large multistory car park. From there we took another car ride, but this time it was in the self-driving electric PRT (Personal Rapid Transport) pods. These pods, like driverless taxis, form an underground transport network serving Masdar City’s users, allowing the city’s streets to be car-free. The pods took us to our next destination, A PRT station right under the Masdar Institute. There, we were greeted by a breathtaking spiraling staircase. I couldn’t wait to climb up the steps and explore the city.

PRT station

spiral staicase

             Walking around the pedestrian-only relatively-narrow shaded streets of Masdar was a special experience. The pathways were slender enough to feel safe and protected (from the sun mostly), while they were open enough to allow ample sunlight to illuminate the space. The buildings that created the street facades were also a major factor in enhancing the pedestrian experience. Throughout Masdar Intitude there was an interesting contrast between two types of buildings. The first had a reddish-brown undulating façade that’s a clear reference to the region’s indigenous mud architecture; the other type had a blue-silver color scheme and sharp perpendicular edges, making clear the high-tech nature of Masdar.

shaded street

Aimlessly wandering around the shaded streets I came upon two urban courtyards. Having been endlessly impressed by what I had since seen in my Masdar visit, these courtyards were slightly anti-climactic. They included some patches of vegetation, shaded peripheral colonnades, and outdoor café seating; but they still seemed to be missing something. What was interesting about the courtyards though, was that each one included an architectural structure that was designed to be the center of attention. One courtyard had a Windtower, which helps cool the courtyard; the other had the Knowledge Center, which includes Masdar Institute’s library.

Windtower

Knowledge Center

fountain under the Knowledge Center dome

Being the only completed part of Masdar City, my visit only included the campus of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. Future developments, temporarily slowed by the recent financial crisis, will include many other facilities including residential (52% of built area), commercial (38%), retail (2%), and community (8%) [Masdar].

My most lasting impression of Masdar is of how the space felt pioneering; there was something exciting in the air. I felt I was walking in a place that resulted from great ambition and hard work. It was less the physical buildings, and more the invisible spirit of Masdar, in its creative usage of technology and design that was most striking. Its Masdar’s undoubtable optimism of a better and more sustainable future that is most inspiring. 

under construction