Masdar Institute by Foster + Partners

While the neighbor emirate of Dubai defines itself by height, glitter and pomp, Abu Dhabi has always been a more placid place. Culture and science as columns of the post-oil era, the latter in the form of the 1st emission free planned Masdar Citydesigned by the bureaus Foster + Partners, a CO2-neutral place of science which is supposed to be fully provided by renewable energy sources. Up till May 2011 belittled by some as a utopia, now more in the focus due to the Fukushima catastrophe in terms of sustainability prospects.
Masdar is the Arabian word for origin / source and is supposed to become the new Silicon Valley of the green electricity industry.

As one of world-wide 12 building complexes, theMasdar Institute of Science and Technology is intended to do research on the possibilities of renewable energy sources in cooperation with the MIT – a branch of the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge/USA. And as if that wasn’t plenty of homework already, the new building in Masdaaer is supposed to connect two more topics with each other: Arabic traditions and sustainable technology.

Innovative Pioneer Project with an Airy Touch

Apart from the wanted innovative spirit, an economic idea seems to spread, since Masdar is more than just an ideational experimental ground – the city fathers want to make money with it – with innovations and developments made by the institute. Inside the first unit completed by Foster + Partners, the Masdar Campus, students are inventors, test inhabitants and “guinea pigs” within a living large-scale project. A model urbanization intended to not only question new inventions, technologies and innovations, but also the behavior and habits of its inhabitants. The question if remotely controlled electric vehicles are really able to replace the gas consuming road cruisers, for instance, or if the model inhabitants will use the common stair facility for moving around instead of electric lifts or escalators. The architecture has set a highlight already: You will find narrow alleys and low houses making use of the air’s natural suction effect for cooling and shadowing. You will find punched façade structures in sand-colored concrete instead of bold glass façades – an ornamentation that wants to be seen as a contemporary interpretation of typical Arabic patterns. Instead of clacking air conditioning systems in front of the façades you will find vertically and horizontally placed segments used as sun protection. And to allow Foster to keep their reputation as techy tinkers, insulation is done via inflatable plastic cushions in front of the façades with patterns printed on them.

Constructor: Mubadala Development Company
Architect: Foster + Partners
Status: Construction time: 2007 - 2010