Commuting to work via capsule pod – now there’s a thought – and, having spent an hour squashed into someone’s armpit on the London Underground this morning, I think it sounds like an excellent one – now Abu Dhabi looks set to make it a reality with its zero-carbon, zero-waste city…
Come 2016, Abu Dhabi’s new sustainable city should be completed, providing a green way of life for more than 50,000 people and creating 1,500 new businesses.
Ambitious yes, but then this is the UAE – which has had the whole world in its hands when it comes to construction over the last few years.
Following the trailblazing eco-towns of Dongton in China and Singapore and China’s joint effort Tianjin, Abu Dhabi’s city, which will be called Masdar, will help the emirate to hit its new renewable energy target.
Masdar’s CEO, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, said, “Abu Dhabi has set a new renewable energy target, providing seven per cent of the emirate’s total power generation capacity by 2020.”
All of the homes in the new city will be built out of sustainable materials, such as recycled steel, concrete and aluminium and all waste will be converted into energy.
The trees lining the streets will all be watered with grey water from water treatment plants and residents will be connected from their homes to offices and shops by capsule shaped pods running along railway lines.
Masdar City will be built over seven years in seven phases at an investment of more than £14.4 billion. Its design meshes the century-old learnings of traditional Arabic urban planning and architecture with leading-edge technologies to create a sustainable environment.
Amongst the buildings being constructed are the Masdar headquarters building, which will receive its power required for construction from a vast PV array on its roof built ahead of the remaining structure – a world-first.
Located at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s transport infrastructure, Masdar City will be linked to surrounding communities, as well as the centre of Abu Dhabi and the international airport, by a network of existing road, and new rail and public transport routes.
The city will be car free and pedestrian friendly and, with a maximum distance of 200 metres to public transport and amenities, the compact network of streets design aims to encourage pedestrians and community social life.
Dr Sultan Al Jaber continued, “We’re looking beyond the current economic downturn – all investments are proceeding.
“Over the next few weeks, Abu Dhabi will be announcing a comprehensive energy policy, which will incubate the renewable energy sector to develop an energy portfolio that is not dependent on only oil and gas,” he added.
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