MASDAR CITY

So much has been written about Masdar, both positively and negatively! With its declared commitment to "sustainable development", Abu Dhabi set itself a major challenge in the early 2000s. It is in line with the "Abu Dhabi 2030" vision, an economic diversification program launched in 2005 to reduce oil revenues to 40% of the emirate's total income by 2030. The actions and projects in place revolve around this ambition, which gives pride of place to education, finance, tourism, media, aviation, transport and, of course, the development of renewable energies and technologies.

Masdar is best known for its campus, but under this name it houses four pillars.

Masdar Institute. This university was founded in partnership with the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on the Masdar City campus. The institute offers the opportunity to study one of nine masters degrees in science and technology.

Masdar Capital. This fund invests in and supports renewable energy and clean technology companies worldwide.

Madar Clean Energy. Invests in the Emirates and worldwide in major sustainable development projects such as wind farms, solar panels and desalination programs.

Masdar City, whose name means "spring" in Arabic, is currently a 200 x 100 m campus, and is only the first district of a much more ambitious project, which should result in a city of over 50,000 inhabitants covering an area of 6 km² by 2025. A visit here is first and foremost a visit to a full-scale laboratory, where all electrical power is generated by renewable energy technologies. Nearly 1,000 people work daily in the capital's free trade zone, while 600 live here. 260 companies have set up shop, including the regional headquarters of Siemens and the head office of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the first international agency to set up its headquarters in the Middle East.

Thanks to the in-depth thinking of the teams of architects and urban planners working on this "sustainable city" project, water and electricity consumption is 40% lower than elsewhere, and the temperature can be fifteen degrees cooler than in Abu Dhabi at the height of summer.

A visit to the Masdar City campus shows how the materials used, technological advances and the study of ancient Middle Eastern cities have made it possible to reduce energy consumption and produce clean electricity. All steel used in Masdar City is recycled. The city has been raised by 7 m to make it cooler, and the buildings have been oriented to provide maximum shade. What's more, many streets face north to take advantage of the prevailing chamal wind, creating natural air corridors that ventilate the city. The narrowness of the streets, never more than 6 m, is reminiscent of the ancient Arab cities that Foster has studied so extensively. This narrowness creates shade. The solar panels installed on the roof also act as sunshades.

The color of the buildings serves as signage. Firstly, the terra cotta buildings house the student accommodation. Their undulating facades are made of vitrified reinforced concrete, using the surrounding sand. This material, in the colors of the desert dunes, is low in dirt and therefore requires little maintenance. There are few windows on the narrow facades, to let in natural light and keep out the heat. Balconies, with their moucharabieh screens, protect the privacy so jealously cultivated in Arab countries, while still allowing light to filter through. Inside the apartments, there is no individual air-conditioning control. The interior temperature, set at 23 degrees, is controlled by a central computer. Water pressure in the bathrooms is also controlled to limit consumption. Each apartment has a multitude of sensors whose energy performance results are sent to a central unit and shared with the students.

Buildings protected by a steel moucharabieh house the offices. The laboratory building rises above the others. The isolation of this building is ingenious. In fact, it's a superposition of materials that will ensure very high thermal efficiency. The outer layer is a plastic film covered with silver dots, which protects a gas called tetrafluoroethylene. It's this mirror that both prevents heat from entering and reflects light onto the street, providing unexpected illumination. The upper windows provide natural light for the students.

The tour begins at the foot of the Siemens building, which has been certified Platinium by LEED (the North American system for standardizing and classifying buildings with high environmental quality). Platinium is the highest possible classification. The temperature in this Siemens building is distinctly cooler. Several factors contribute to this. The building is designed as a box within a box. The interior features highly insulating facades. The exterior perimeter features an aluminum louver system that prevents outside heat from penetrating inside. Secondly, the building's plaza is draughty, the effect of which is enhanced by a succession of three cubic wind towers integrated into the architecture.

Climbing the stairs and moving forward, you come to the first square. Here, at a height of 45 m, stands a wind tower once known as a barjeel. An architectural feature of the Arabian Peninsula, it is the ancestor of air conditioning. Here, we discover the high-tech version. At the top of this triangular tower is a real weather station, flanked by three removable panels. A central computer decides which panel to open. Air rushes in and down the Teflon-coated cylinder. Misters installed at the very top of the building reproduce almost identically the humidifying role played by the linen hung by the women of yesteryear. The wind, cooled and charged with moisture, acts as a fan. At night, the tower lights up blue if energy consumption is reasonable or red if targets are exceeded. It thus becomes a beacon for residents, who can, for example, postpone their showers in order to become eco-responsible.

Turning from this square towards the alleyway that extends the wind tower, it's easy to spot another laboratory building. Once again, the steel louvers protecting the windows are judiciously oriented on a case-by-case and partial basis to limit the impact of solar radiation. For this reason, some window sections have no louvers at all, as the sun's rays never reach them.

With the Siemens building at your back and the wind tower on your left, continue straight ahead. You come to another building: the Incubator. Its facades are sloped to reduce the impact of the sun's rays by 63%. They are made of glass and dotted with ceramic curtains. Their density increases at the very top of the facades. The colors used are chosen to reflect the sun's rays. Yellow dots reflect the light, while warmer colors are used at the base of the building where no sunlight reaches.

After passing through the incubator, the tour continues. You'll be able to take some great photos, especially of the undulating ochre facades reflected on those of the incubator. Benches and sofas are installed throughout the city, creating a certain conviviality. Fountains and greenery also help to reduce Masdar City's temperature.

Facing south, the sports hall with its yellow-orange triangular façade provides natural shade for the two open-air pools. Turn right onto the street that runs along the outer perimeter of the city to reach the Knowledge Center or library, an emblematic building, recognizable by its oval zinc shell [a material available in large quantities, infinitely recyclable and requiring little maintenance]. Photovoltaic panels are installed at the top of the shell, while openings all around provide natural ventilation. The shell protects the glued laminated timber structure. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, this wood offers strength and durability.

As you walk around the library, you'll notice that, like everywhere else in Masdar, the staircases are always outside, so that they don't need to be air-conditioned.

To access the PRTs (Personal Rapid Transit), ask the guards how to get there. Don't look for the hidden elevator. In the cities of the future, the emphasis is on the staircase, unlike in today's buildings. The staircase is not painted. They're left as they are to reduce maintenance and unnecessary consumption. At the bottom of the staircase, you'll have the opportunity to read the panels that tell the story of Masdar, as well as future projects. At the far end, you'll see the PRT stations. The PRT is not a science-fiction vehicle. It's an individual mode of transport, powered by a lithium battery, moving with the help of guide magnets placed under the pavement and equipped with an obstacle detection system. Travelling at a speed of 40 km/h, the PRT is currently a one-way trip. The PRT was designed by the famous Zagato designer, who has also created a number of Ferraris, Bentleys and Aston Martins. The vehicle is manufactured by 2getthere, a Dutch company.

Near the PRT stations, a model of the entire future city can be seen, scheduled for completion in 2025.

So Masdar is not a finished project. Soon, what is still just a neighborhood will undoubtedly become a new city whose ambition is also to offer eco-sustainable housing at moderate prices, taking into account the social aspect of sustainable development. Masdar already boasts a number of fine technological innovations, which leave the visitor sometimes amazed, sometimes annoyed by so many contradictions: here, everything has been thought through, while just a few kilometers away, water consumption and waste are considerable. Phases 2 and 3 of Masdar are already underway, and we'd love to see an eco-responsible desalination plant, waste sorting and, above all, a city that's a little more cheerful and lively than it is at present.