Abu Dhabi seeks global lead in sustainable development

With plans for a carbon neutral city, the attention of an increasingly environmentally conscious world has turned to Abu Dhabi as UAE capital bids to establish a global lead in sustainable development, says an industry expert.

“The immediate focus in Masdar City – a zero-carbon, zero-waste, renewable energy powered and car-free environment which is part of Abu Dhabi’s $15 billion Masdar Initiative,” said Riad Mannan, Director of the Cityscape Abu Dhabi Sustainable Development Conference.

“The threat of global warming is concentrating minds on the way we live and work,” he adds.
The conference will focus on leading real estate developers, designers, architects and contractors who will discuss finding new ways to design and build sustainable buildings. The conference takes place at the second Cityscape Abu Dhabi – the International Property Investment Show – at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from May 13-15.

Cityscape Abu Dhabi, launched last year with the support of key government agencies, surpassed all expectations. This year the event is expected to attract more than 25,000 visitors from over 100 counties with more than 300 exhibitors showcasing projects from over 50 different counties.

Masdar CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, a key speaker at the conference, says that the zero-carbon city will be “a living example of sustainable development” which will position Abu Dhabi at the forefront of new energy utilization. “Today, as global demand for energy continues to expand and as climate change becomes a real and growing concern, the time has come to look to the future,” Al Jaber says.

As a further sign of its leading role in sustainable development, Abu Dhabi has signed a two-year agreement with the global conservation organization WWF to help monitor the emirate’s ecological footprint and develop strategies to reduce it to a suitable level.

A parallel conference on Real Estate Finance and Investment will also bring together leading investors, property developers, bakers, fund groups and all those ultimately interested in the real estate property market in the region.

CITYSCAPE ABU DHABI

■ Platinum sponsors of Cityscape Abu Dhabi include Mubadala, Aldar Properties, Sorouh, Escan, The Land Holding Company and Al Qudra Real Estate. Dubai World Central, Tameer and Saudi Oger have taken Gold sponsorship and the Silver sponsorship is Future Brand and DAS Holding. The Associate sponsor this year is The Department of Municipal Affairs, Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

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Masdar partners with Sener for solar power generation

MASDAR, Abu Dhabi's alternative energy company and Spanish engineering group SENER GRUPO DE INGENIERIA S.A., today announced a joint venture - Torresol Energy - to design, build and operate concentrating solar power (CSP) plants in the world's sunbelt regions. One of Torresol Energy's primary objectives is to widen the adoption of CSP and make it more compatible with grid parity.

This joint venture will commence work on three solar power plants in Spain with an approximate combined value of USD800 million, one of which will be a CSP Central Tower Receiver System. This technology will feature the first-ever commercial deployment of the industry-changing technology, and will set the standards for an anticipated 500 MW of CSP projects across the Sunbelt countries by 2012. Independently of Torresol Energy, MASDAR is developing CSP plants in Abu Dhabi, and their flagship plant 'Shams 1' is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2010.

In every new project Torresol Energy expects to introduce and test new technologies with the long term objectives of making CSP a very competitive and reliable technology, achieving a sustainable leading position in this sector and contributing to the protection of the environment for future generations.

SENER has been working for almost a decade in the development of solar thermal power technology. The company is presently designing and building, in a joint venture, three 50 MW parabolic through plants with molten salt storage in Spain. SENER has also devised and tested innovative solutions for CSP tower plants and has started the detailed design of Central Receiver Plants. The company expects to apply all these solutions in the projects of Torresol Energy and also for other clients worldwide.

MASDAR CEO, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber and SENER President and CEO, Jorge Sendagorta announced the launch of Torrresol Energy in joint remarks at the Diputacion Foral de Bizkaia, where the press conference where held. Sultan M. Al-Qortasi, the UAE Ambassador to Spain, attended the event as guest of honor.

Torresol Energy comes from the common vision of SENER and MASDAR to build a leading global company for the generation of reliable power from solar energy and contribute to the protection of the environment for future generations. 'We also have a shared mission: to invest globally in profitable and efficient concentrating solar power plants and to pioneer new techonologies and drive down the future costs of generation', said Jorge Sendagorta.

'MASDAR is committed to developing and delivering future energy solutions. And the Torresol CSP technology promises to be the technology that will revolutionize the way we draw energy from the sun' said Al Jaber. . 'Partnering with SENER will accelerate our objective of creating the scale and technology improvements required for a wider adoption of CSP technology while fulfilling our mandate to the Abu Dhabi government's alternative energy program'.

SENER will own a 60 percent share of Torresol Energy, with MASDAR owning the remaining 40 percent. (WAM)

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MASDAR named "Clean Tech Leader of the Year"

The Masdar Initiative, Abu Dhabi's investment in developing future energy solutions, was named the "Cleantech Leader of the Year" today at the Cleantech Forum's Cleantech Awards in San Francisco, California, USA. The prestigious recognition was bestowed on the initiative for contributing credibility and resources to the cleantech industry.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, received the award on behalf of Masdar at the Cleantech Forum Gala Dinner, which was attended by more than 900 global leaders in clean technology.

"Masdar is developing and investing in innovative solutions for the world's increasing demand for future energies," Dr. Al Jaber said. "We are honored by this gesture of trust and confidence, as success in the development of technologies in renewable and sustainable energies - a mission of the Masdar Initiative - will only come from true cooperation and collaboration with our peers in the industry." Since 2003, the Cleantech Group has recognised select individuals, companies and other organisations that furthered the cleantech sector with the Cleantech Awards. Winners are chosen by the Cleantech Group's senior staff and advisory boards. Past "Cleantech Leader of the Year" recipients include Sir Nicholas Stern of the World Bank; CalPERS, the largest public pension fund in the United States; and the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange.

Launched in September 2006, Masdar has created a US$250 million Masdar Clean Tech Fund (CTF) in partnership with Credit Suisse, Siemens and Consensus Business Group of the UK. The fund is a diversified venture capital investment vehicle that will build a portfolio of clean technology companies.

The CTF has concluded its first year with one of the strongest and most successful deal flows in the investment community. It deployed most of its capital in 2007, one year ahead of schedule, taking strategic equity stakes in companies, such as Solargenics, Segway, Halosource, Europlasma, Sulfurcell, Heliovolt, SIC Processing and EnerTech Capital.

Earlier this month, Masdar broke ground on Masdar City, the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, where all of its programmes will be centrally located. The 6.5-square kilometre district, growing eventually to 1,500 businesses and 50,000 residents, will be home to international business and top minds in the field of sustainable and alternative energy.

Masdar is also investing in human capital by cultivating the scientific and human talent required for the new clean technology sector. It has established the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), the Middle East's first graduate-level, research-driven scientific institution focused on energy and sustainability, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MIST also encompasses the Masdar Research Network (MRN), a network of universities across the world in conducting advanced research in energy and sustainability technologies.

As one of the top figures in cleantech, Dr. Al Jaber also gave the Forum's key note address. (WAM)

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Masdar Headquarters to be Located in World’s First ’Positive Energy’ Mixed-Use Building

Masdar announced today that it has chosen Chicago architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS + GG) to design its headquarters in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city fully powered by renewable energy. The headquarters will be the world’s first large-scale, mixed-use "positive energy" building, producing more energy than it consumes. In addition to being the location of Masdar Headquarters, the building will accommodate private residences and ’early bird’ businesses starting up in the city.

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, said AS+GG is internationally recognized for high-performance, energy-efficient and sustainable architecture. "We know Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture share our vision for Masdar’s headquarters. This building is at the heart of Masdar City, and its net positive energy design and new innovations will reflect our mission of developing sustainable future energy solutions."

AS+GG teamed with Chicago-based MEP engineers Environmental Systems Design and structural engineers Thornton Tomasetti on the design, which includes 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 Headquarters will consume 70 percent less water.

"In line with the Abu Dhabi 2030 Development Plan, Masdar is choosing to emphasize sustainability over height. We hope and expect this will set a new direction for worldwide competition in sustainable design," Dr. Al Jaber continued.

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
- Be the first building in history to generate power for its own assembly, through development of its solar roof pier before the underlying complex

"We’re thrilled to be working on a project of this importance and magnitude. Masdar Headquarters is one of the most significant developments of our time," said Adrian Smith, partner, AS+GG. "As a positive energy complex, the project will have a far-reaching influence on the buildings of tomorrow."

"Masdar Headquarters will set a new paradigm for the way buildings are designed, constructed and inhabited," said Gordon Gill, partner, AS+GG. "The project represents the perfect integration of architecture and engineering, resulting in a dynamic, inviting building that outperforms any other structure of its type in the world."

Construction of Masdar City commenced with a formal ground-breaking ceremony on February 9, 2008. The City will be constructed over seven phases and is due to be completed by 2016. Masdar’s headquarters is part of phase one and will be completed by the end of 2010.

The design competition for Masdar’s headquarters was managed by the Louis Berger Group and began with a field of 159 participants, which was narrowed down to 15 architecture and design firms. The criteria for selection of the 15 included building functionality, water and wastewater efficiency, indoor environmental quality, zero carbon emission, carbon footprint reduction and firm experience. Four global leaders in sustainable architecture and design were then chosen to submit final proposals.

A global jury of seven world renowned design and urban planning experts chose AS+GG’s design from the finalists. The jury consisted of:

A. Hashim Sarkis - Aga Khan Professor of Landscape, Architecture and Urbanism in Muslim Societies in the Department of Urban Planning & Design at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design (Cambridge, MA)
Dennis A. Andrejko - Associate Professor at the University of Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning (Buffalo, NY)
Greg Mella, AIA, LEED AP - Principal at SmithGroup (Washington, D.C.)
Jean-Marie Charpentier - Architect for Maison Mozart (Paris)
Dr. Hans-Rudolf Schalcher - Professor at the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction (Zurich), where he is also the Head of Technical Competence Center and Member of the Management Board; Chair of the Planning and Management in Construction for the Institute for Construction Engineering and Management at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Zurich)
John Quale - Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture (Charlottesville, VA)
Volker Hartkopf - Professor of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, The Robert L. Preger Intelligent Workplace; Director at CBPD (Pittsburgh, PA)
Source

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Free zone status for Masdar City

Masdar City will enjoy a free zone status for renewable energy industry, said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, CEO Abu Dhabi Energy Company (Masdar).

At a Press briefing after the groundbreaking ceremony late on Saturday, he said $22 billion project would provide a launching pad for 1,500 firms involved in innovation, research and development.

"The details of the incentives to be offered to the investors in the city would be announced in due course of time," he said.

The city, to be built in over eight years, will contain light industry, producing new products in advanced energy and sustainability. The firms focused on energy, and sustainability will interact, innovate and excel in the Masdar free-zone in the sub-sectors of renewable energy.

"Sub-sectors including advanced energy, sustainable transportation, green efficiencies, etc will have innovation hubs creating new technologies and solutions, as well as a commercialisation unit for the rapid deployment of these solutions," Al Jaber said.

The city will establish Abu Dhabi as the global hub for carrying out these activities, providing a platform for collaboration in creating new energy solutions. The free zone will also host world class research laboratories conducting research and development in the renewable sector.

About the funding to the development budget, the CEO Masdar said only one-third of it would come from $15 billion investment fund, announced by Abu Dhabi last month.

"A number of specialized financing vehicles would be launched to raise the money for the project. It will also come from international banks and financial institutions, who have expressed their great interest to join the landmark initiative," he said. Source

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Cityscape Abu Dhabi to focus on Abu Dhabi's bid to lead sustainable development

With plans for a carbon neutral city, the attention of an increasingly environmentally conscious world has turned to Abu Dhabi as the capital of the United Arab Emirates bids to establish a global lead in sustainable development, said an industry expert.

'The immediate focus is Masdar City - a zero-carbon, zero-waste, renewable energy powered and car-free environment which is part of Abu Dhabi's USD15 billion Masdar Initiative,' said Riad Mannan, Director of the Cityscape Abu Dhabi Sustainable Development Conference in May. 'The threat of global warming is concentrating minds on the way we live and work,' he added.

The conference will focus on leading real estate developers, designers, architects and contractors who will discuss finding new ways to design and build sustainable buildings. The conference takes place at the second Cityscape Abu Dhabi - the International Property and Investment Show - at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from 13-15 May 2008.

Cityscape Abu Dhabi, launched last year with the support of prominent government ministers and key government agencies, surpassed all expectations. This year the event is expected to attract more than 25,000 visitors from over 100 countries with more than 300 exhibitors showcasing projects from over 50 different countries.

Masdar CEO Dr Sultan Al Jaber, a key speaker at the conference, commented that the zero-carbon city will be 'a living example of sustainable development' which will position Abu Dhabi - the world's fourth largest oil exporter - at the forefront of new energy utilisation. "Today, as global demand for energy continues to expand and as climate change becomes a real and growing concern, the time has come to look to the future," Al Jaber added.

As a further sign of its leading role in sustainable development, Abu Dhabi has signed a two year agreement with the global conservation organisation WWF to help monitor the emirate's ecological footprint and develop strategies to reduce it to a sustainable level.

A Cityscape Abu Dhabi awards dinner, to be held at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi on May 13 will also recognise professionals and companies who have shown outstanding performance in sustainable development.

A parallel conference on Real Estate Finance and Investment will also bring together leading investors, property developers, bankers, fund groups and all those ultimately interested in the real estate property market in the region.

'The Middle East has been witnessing robust growth in its non-oil sectors, with the real estate sector making a significant contribution,' said Real Estate Finance and Investment Conference Director Irina Awote. 'In Abu Dhabi alone projects proposed, planned or under construction total $327 billion.' Awote added: 'There are positive forecasts for Abu Dhabi's real estate sector in particular. Investors and developers are taking full advantage of changes in the law, extensive tourism plans, the tax-free property investment environment and the fact that Abu Dhabi has a legal structure for the ownership of property.

Platinum sponsors of Cityscape Abu Dhabi include Mubadala, Aldar Properties, Sorouh, Escan, The Land Holding Company and Al Qudra Real Estate. Dubai World Central, Tameer and Saudi Oger have taken Gold sponsorship and the Silver sponsors are Future Brand and DAS Holding. The Associate sponsor this year is The Department of Municipal Affairs, Emirate of Abu Dhabi. (WAM)

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Masdar initiative breaks ground on carbon-neutral city of the future

Abu Dhabi today broke ground on Masdar City, the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city. The global milestone event was marked by the laying of a virtual cornerstone by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and a visually stunning production depicting life in the city.
In conjunction with the groundbreaking, Masdar CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber announced a total development budget for the city of $22 billion. An essential driver for the development of the city is carbon finance. Carbon emissions reduced by Masdar City will be monetized under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism.

In addition to full-time residents, Masdar City will seek to attract and encourage collaboration between experts in sustainable transportation; waste management; water and wastewater conservation; green construction, buildings and industrial materials; recycling; biodiversity; climate change, renewable energy and green financial institutions. Masdar will maximize the benefits of sustainable technologies, such as photovoltaic cells and concentrated solar power, through an integrated planning and design approach.

By implementing these technologies, Masdar City will save the equivalent of more than US $2 billion in oil over the next 25 years, based on today's energy prices. The city will also create more than 70,000 jobs and will add more than two percent to Abu Dhabi's annual GDP.

"We are creating a city where residents and commuters will live the highest quality of life with the lowest environmental footprint," said Dr. Al Jaber.

"Masdar City will become the world?s hub for future energy. By taking sustainable development and living to a new level, it will lead the world in understanding how all future cities should be built." In addition, the city will achieve unprecedented levels of demand reduction. Highlights include: - Seventy-five percent reduction in installed power capacity; Masdar City will require approximately 200 MW of installed clean power versus more than 800 MW of installed capacity to power a similar city based on conventional design - Water needs cut by more than half; Masdar City will require around 8,000 m3 per day of desalinated water versus more than 20,000 m3 per day for traditional cities - Landfill area severely diminished; a city of this size would have required millions of square meters of landfill area; Masdar City will need virtually no landfill area.

The first step in the city's seven-phase plan is the development of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), the world's first graduate university dedicated to renewable energy. Developed in collaboration with MIT and scheduled to open in 2009, MIST will maintain a body of students and professors focused on developing the next generation of solutions to the world?s growing dependence on fossil fuels.

The 6.5 kilometre district, located by Abu Dhabi International Airport, is designed by renowned architecture firm Foster + Partners and set to be completed in 2016 in conjunction with Abu Dhabi's 2030 Development Plan.

It will eventually grow to 1,500 businesses and 50,000 residents and will be home to international business and top minds in the field of sustainable and alternative energy. Of this, 30 percent will be zoned for housing; 24 percent for the business and research district; 13 percent for commercial purposes, including light manufacturing; 6 percent for the MIST; 19 percent for service and transportation; and 8 percent for civic and cultural pursuits.

Masdar City is one of the flagship projects of the One Planet Living programme - a global initiative launched by WWF (also known as the World Wide Fund for Nature and the World Wildlife Fund). One Planet Living? aims to prove that it is possible to live within ecological limits and still improve the quality of people?s lives. One Planet Living? communities, such as Masdar, aim to put the principles of sustainability into practice, and Masdar City exceeds these principles.

Masdar City will be the home of the Masdar Initiative Abu Dhabi's multi-faceted, multi-billion dollar investment in the development and commercialization of innovative technologies in renewable, alternative and sustainable energies as well as sustainable design. In January 2008, Abu Dhabi announced it will invest $15 billion in Masdar, the largest single government investment of its kind.

The groundbreaking ceremony's electricity needs and carbon emissions were entirely offset by solar power reserves produced by Masdar's photovoltaic testing facilities. Since it began producing power for the national grid in December 2007, the facility has generated more than 5,500 kilowatt hours of electricity and saved more than four tons of CO2. (WAM)

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Masdar Initiative breaks ground on City of the Future

On 9 February at 6.30pm in Abu Dhabi, the Masdar Initiative will break ground on Masdar City, the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, powered entirely by renewable energy. Leading architects and engineers have come together from around the world to design Masdar City, which will save more than US$2 billion of oil over 25 years and serve as a benchmark for the next generation of green design.

During his keynote address, Masdar's CEO Dr Sultan Al Jaber will announce previously unreleased details on the construction and financing of Masdar City. The event will be culminated by the laying of a "cornerstone." The entire groundbreaking will be offset by solar power reserves produced by Masdar's photovoltaic testing facilities.

This groundbreaking is the first physical step towards creating the home of the Masdar Initiative. The first phase of the city's seven-phase plan is the development of The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) - the world's only graduate school dedicated to renewable energy - developed in collaboration with MIT and scheduled to open in 2009.

Behind the scenes, two of the world’s leading architects, Rem Koolhaas and Norman Foster, have clashed over claims of a “remarkable similarity” between their green city projects.

In the week that Foster & Partners confirmed the sale of a stake in the firm to private equity group 3i, the practice was forced to defend its Masdar City design, because of its resemblance to the neighbouring UAE development RAK Gateway by Koolhaas’s Office for Metropolitan Architecture in Ras Al Khaimah.

Koolhaas revealed his practice had sought an explanation from Foster’s because of perceived similarities, including scale, shape, sustainable aspects and the grid system both cities will employ.

Although the Dutch architect later stressed there was “no suspicion” of plagiarism, he was keen to point out that his scheme had come first. Foster & Partners responded by issuing a terse statement denying any real similarity between the schemes.

RAK Gateway, which has not been widely publicised, is a 4.5 square kilometre project proposed in Ras Al Khaimah for the RAK Investment Authority as a new town linking the entrace to Ras Al Khaimah from the southern Emirates and onto the picturesque region of Musandam and Oman. It was recently outlined by Koolhaas at the International Design Forum in Dubai.

“We want to establish that we launched this project in November last year,” Koolhaas told the UK media.

“It needed a conversation [with Foster & Partners] about how plausible it was that these similarities could happen,” he said.

Fellow OMA partner Reinier de Graaf said its scheme was the “most radical in the world” in terms of density and its mix of functions.

But a spokeswoman for Foster’s insisted that “apart from the square shape”, there were no similarities between the schemes. She said the firm had no prior knowledge of the OMA project, despite it being shown at Mipim in March 2007.

“Our scheme for a low-rise, carbon-neutral university city for the Masdar Initiative...has drawn inspiration from traditional Arabic walled cities and the 16th century ultradense square cities of Yemen,” she added. Source

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