Masdar, an ecological utopia?

15 January 2024Photos and text: Fred Marie23 images

01 / 23 · 15 January 2024Fred Marie / Collectif DR

Located 17 km southeast of Abu Dhabi, near the international airport, Masdar City aims to be the world’s first city with zero carbon emissions and zero waste, powered entirely by renewable energy.

Launched in 2006, the project has been pushed back from its original completion date of 2016 to 2030, with its budget cut from 22 billion dollars to 19.8 billion dollars because of the financial crisis. The city, which is expected to cover an area of 6.5 km² in the desert, plans to house 40,000 residents and 1,500 businesses and to serve as an international hub for clean technology and renewable energy.

Designed with sustainability as a founding principle, the city will feature energy-efficient buildings, sustainable transport options and waste management systems.

Masdar is designed for pedestrians and cyclists. The temperature in the streets is generally 5 to 10°C cooler than in the surrounding desert, thanks to its urban design. The city center is raised above the surrounding area and oriented to channel the wind through the streets. The buildings are grouped together to create streets and passageways shaded from the sun.

In addition, a 45-meter-high “wind tower,” inspired by traditional Arab designs, draws in air from above and creates a cooling breeze.

Having already attracted a few thousand residents, including students at its artificial intelligence university, the city of the future continues to quietly rise from the ground.

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