The Masdar buildings that have been realized are impressive, but they comprise a shadow of the original, grandiose plans

Everybody loves to criticize the Abu Dhabi state-owned energy company Masdar, which has been forced to eat humble pie on numerous occasions for failing to realize the grandiose zero carbon, zero emissions city promised to the world when oil money was pumping in. Their small achievements are certainly impressive – see our exclusive Masdar images here – but few of the original specs have been incorporated into the buildings already erected.

As time goes on and mostly financial obstacles continue to emerge, the plans look increasingly less like the original. Bloomberg recently announced that Masdar is now in the process of revising Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill’s design for an energy-positive headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The firm behind Saudi’s ridiculously large tower along the Red Sea is expecting to hear within the month whether or not their design will survive the latest round of economic setbacks.

Coming down from the oil-boom high

Bloomberg reports that Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill proposed a massive headquarters that would have produced 3% more energy than it consumed. At 1.1 million square feet, it would have received the bulk of its energy from enough solar panels to cover four soccer fields.

As you can imagine, such a plan doesn’t come cheap, and Masdar is re-thinking its initial heady excitement.

Gordon Gill told the paper that it is uncertain whether Masdar considers the building to be too big, to expensive, or if the company is worried that they will not be able to find enough tenants to justify such a massive construction project. He admitted that because they had to build their own power facilities, the projected costs for the swanky headquarters were 50% higher than a conventional office building.

A more moderate approach

The new headquarters will be built in stages in accordance with market demand and economic conditions, though Masdar was unwilling to comment on whether it will still be an energy-positive project. (Nothing new there. With all of the criticism – justified or otherwise – leveled at the company, they are notoriously press-weary.)

Phase one of the new plan will be complete by the fourth quarter of 2013, according to Bloomberg, but we don’t recommend that our readers hold on too tightly to that date. Times are unsettled, and it said that god laughs at those who make plans. Just accept that the only constant, where Masdar is concerned, is change.

:: Bloomberg

More on the Masdar Saga:

Exclusive: Masdar City Open House Photos

Re-Assessing Masdar City

What’s Sustainable About Masdar’s Foster & Partners?

The post Masdar City Faces New Setbacks appeared first on Green Prophet.

The Azouri brothers and architect Keren Yedvub leave no stone unturned. Their 20-storey

The Azouri Brothers’ eco-tower is growing greener and greener by the day.

 Already featuring a whole host of attributes that make their 20 storey office building as livable and sustainable as technology and funding will allow, Alon & Ronen Azouri have joined forces with Better Place CEO Shai Agassi to take sustainability to the next level.

Those employees who drive zero emission vehicles will not only be rewarded with prime parking spots, but they will also receive 50% off their monthly parking fee.

While this may not pay off financially except in the very long term, the program does associate carbon-emitting vehicles with a sort of social stigma. The stima: pollution is bad.

Planned for a spring inauguration, the $51 million eco-tower already incorporates special glass that permits natural light without the sun’s heat and that is partially recycled, reused or locally-sourced building materials, solar paneling, and flooring made from certified wood.

Also included is a climate control monitoring system that can be operated online to ensure maximum efficiency without compromising comfort.

But wait. There’s more. Part of ensuring quality of life, according to Ronen Azouri, is ensuring a healthy means of getting from point A to point B. 

“Green parking completes the general vision of building a ‘better place’ (pun intended), a green and healthy business environment,” says Azouri. “Transit is part of the quality of life of residents of the building, and we are pleased to provide an incentive to switch to electric vehicles.”

The underground parking area will be fitted with carbon monoxide detectors. When levels are unsafe, the ventilation system will be automatically activated. And in keeping with energy efficiency goals, LED lighting will be programmed to ebb and flow depending on the time of day. 

For those who prefer the double-wheeled option, no problem. Not only will they be able to park their bicycles, but they’ll be able to grab a solar-powered shower before stepping into the office. 

:: Israel 21C

More on the Azouri Brothers and Better Place:

Tel Aviv’s Eco-Tower A Go

Azouri Brothers Eco-Tower Planned For Tel Aviv

Critics Fear Better Place Is Charging A Monopoly

The post Azouri Brothers & Shai Agassi Together Make Tel Aviv A Better Place appeared first on Green Prophet.

One of the most respected environmental activists in the Middle East, no sustainability conference is complete without H.H. Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi’s stamp of approval. So it is an enormous compliment that the “Green Sheikh” attended an event co-hosted by Abu Dhabi’s leading property developer and an international carpet manufacturer. Designed to generate environmental awareness among United Arab Emirate businesses, the Cradle to Cradle event attracted over 100 leading architects, designers, and government and New York University representatives.

The conference was co-hosted by Aldar, which owns over 50 million square meters of land in strategic locations throughout the Emirate and Desso – a major European carpet manufacturer with a significant presence across the Middle East, supplying to hospitals, educational facilities, offices and government buildings.

The Netherlands-based company was the first carpet manufacturer in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region to adopt Cradle to Cradle – which Time Magazine has called “a unified philosophy that – in demonstrable and practical ways – is changing the design of the world.”

Delegates heard presentations from Dr Michael Braungart, one of the founders of Cradle to Cradle, and from Stef Kranendijk, chief executive of Desso, on how Cradle to Cradle principles are being applied in one of the world’s leading carpet manufacturers.

Michael Braungart, along with the American architect William McDonough, heralded the philosophy with their book ‘Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.’ Desso’s central premise is that at the end of a carpet’s useful life, its components should be disassembled and reused without being down-cycled or, worse, simply thrown away.

The Cradle to Cradle philosophy promotes the notion that all product components can be used and reused without losing their value – an entirely new approach to consumerism.

Underlining the importance of the event, it was held at the HQ of Mubadla, established by the government of Abu Dhabi to diversify and transform the economy and develop the next generation of business leaders.

Also represented was government-owned Masdar, a pioneer in renewable energy, which is seeking to position Abu Dhabi as an international hub for renewable energy, new energy and sustainable technologies.

The development of the GCC region, and its increasing urbanization, has inevitably brought problems of waste management and concerns about pollution. The 2008 WWF Living Planet Report found that the UAE has the highest per capita carbon footprint internationally.

However, Abu Dhabi has set a target to generate 7% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, and has embarked on the ground-breaking Masdar project, due for completion in 2025, to build the world’s first zero emission, zero waste, city. Other initiatives, alongside new green building codes, are smaller-scale, but also significant: for example, to phase out plastic carrier bags across the country by 2012.

In parallel, the UAE has also established the world’s most valuable environmental award, worth US $1 million, the brainchild of H.H. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in recognition of former President, H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who saw the importance of protecting the environment for future generations.

Issues of sustainability and environmental responsibility have grown in importance over recent years leading to, for example, the creation of Estidama, which means sustainability in English, an initiative launched in May 2008 by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, the agency responsible for the future of Abu Dhabi’s urban environment.

Estidama seeks to achieve the highest levels of sustainable designs and practices from the very start of the design process. The initiative supports the principle of sustainable living and wise use of resources by working closely with communities, organizations, businesses and policy makers to promote responsible decision making. The Pearl rating system associated with Estidama is now a regulatory requirement.

“This was an event that captured imaginations,” said Andre Dulka, Desso’s regional manager, “with Abu Dhabi’s key development organizations represented, as well as a broad spectrum of delegates from the private sector.”

More on Cradle to Cradle Design in the Middle East:

Eco-Design Basics On Cradle to Grave vs. Cradle to Cradle

Beauty Increases Sustainability, According to Designer Gadi Amit

Sustainable Reading: Offset Your Reading With Eco-Libris

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