| Masdar City | |
| Native Name: | Arabic: مدينة مصدر |
| Native Name Lang: | ar |
| Other Name: | Masdar City Free Zone |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | United Arab Emirates |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Masdar City in the UAE |
| Coordinates: | 24.4292°N 54.6183°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United Arab Emirates |
| Subdivision Type1: | Emirate |
| Subdivision Name1: | Abu Dhabi |
| Established Title: | Initiated |
| Established Date: | 2006 |
| Leader Title: | Chairman |
| Leader Name: | H.E. Abdulla Balalaa |
| Leader Title1: | Chief Executive Officer |
| Leader Name1: | Mr. Ahmed Baghoum |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 6 |
| Area Land Km2: | 6 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0 |
| Population Total: | 15,000 |
| Population As Of: | 2024 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | Gulf Standard Time |
| Utc Offset1: | +04 |
Masdar City (Arabic: مدينة مصدر|Madīnat Maṣdar|lit=Source City) is an urban community in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It was built by Masdar, a subsidiary of the state-owned Mubadala Investment Company, with the majority of seed capital provided by the Government of Abu Dhabi.
Launched in 2006 as a $22 billion state-funded project to construct "the world’s most sustainable eco-city" by 2016, the start date for the project has since then been delayed indefinitely.[1] By 2023, approximately 15,000 people lived and worked in Masdar City (of whom 5,000 were residents), and the community covered less than a sixth of the area it was intended to cover.[2]
Masdar City Free Zone is a prominent hub within Masdar City, recognized for fostering innovation and sustainability. Home to over 1,000 organizations, the Free Zone provides an ecosystem that supports a diverse range of businesses, from startups and SMEs to multinational corporations. This business community benefits from state-of-the-art infrastructure, sustainable office spaces, and a streamlined regulatory environment, all designed to accelerate innovation and growth.
Masdar City Free Zone offers a unique One-Stop Shop service that simplifies the setup process for companies, allowing them to focus on core business activities. This service includes business registration, government relations, visa processing, and access to a network of local and international partners. Additionally, companies benefit from 100% foreign ownership, zero personal income tax, no import tariffs, and the freedom to repatriate capital and profits.
To cater to the specific needs of various industries, Masdar City Free Zone offers tailored business packages. These packages are designed to support companies in sectors such as smart mobility, life sciences, AI, agritech, space technology, and sustainable energy. Each package provides access to essential resources, including funding opportunities, strategic partnerships, and access to specialized facilities.
Masdar City Free Zone is strategically focused on six industry clusters, each contributing to the advancement of global sustainability goals:
Masdar City Free Zone has established partnerships with key organizations to further enhance business development. Collaborations with the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) provide businesses with the option to operate under Common Law, facilitating greater foreign investment. Additionally, partnerships with Amazon Web Services (AWS) offer startups access to cloud credits and tools, while collaborations with local banks support financial services tailored to Free Zone tenants.
Masdar City is the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency, commonly known as IRENA, the first intergovernmental organization in the Middle East.[3] Construction of IRENA's headquarters was completed in 2015.
Masdar City was selected to host IRENA's headquarters after a high-profile campaign by the UAE. In its bid, the UAE offered rent-free offices in Masdar City, 20 IRENA scholarships to the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, and up to US$350 million in loans for renewable energy projects in developing countries.
Masdar, also known as the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, is a global leader in renewable energy and sustainable urban development. Headquartered in Masdar City, the company spearheads a range of initiatives aimed at advancing clean energy technologies and reducing carbon footprints worldwide. Masdar's portfolio includes investments in renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar power plants, as well as sustainable real estate developments that set new benchmarks for environmental performance.
The regional headquarters for Siemens is also located in Masdar City. The LEED Platinum building makes use of sustainable and energy efficient materials and building techniques. It was designed to use 45 per cent less energy and 50 per cent less water than typical office buildings. The Siemens headquarters won an award for best office building at the MIPIM Architectural Review Future Projects Awards in 2012. The Middle East Architect Awards named it both the best and most sustainable office building the same year.
The 12,000 square-foot building is built around the idea of a "box within a box." The structure includes a highly insulated airtight inner façade that insulates from the sun and a lightweight aluminum shading system on the exterior. The plaza beneath the building is funnel-shaped. This shape works to suck prevailing winds underneath the building. Due to the Venturi effect, a breeze flows up to the roof of the building through atria in the building's structure, cooling public spaces without energy costs. These atria also allow daylight into the center of the building in order to reduce the need for artificial lighting, further reducing energy consumption. The building's automation systems are all from Siemens.
Siemens signed an initial 10-year lease.
The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) is a pioneering institution located within Masdar City, dedicated to advancing the field of artificial intelligence (AI). As the world's first graduate-level, research-based AI university, MBZUAI offers specialized programs in machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. The university aims to cultivate top-tier talent and foster groundbreaking research that addresses global challenges. MBZUAI's presence in Masdar City strengthens the city's status as a hub for AI innovation and contributes to the development of intelligent systems that promote sustainable growth across various sectors.
G42, based in Masdar City, is a leading artificial intelligence and cloud computing company that plays a pivotal role in advancing technological innovation in the region. Known for its work in big data analytics, AI research, and cloud infrastructure, G42 supports a wide range of industries, including healthcare, finance, and smart cities. The company has been instrumental in driving significant advancements in AI applications, including the development of cutting-edge solutions that address complex challenges such as healthcare diagnostics and urban planning.
The UAE Space Agency, headquartered in Masdar City, is a pivotal institution driving the UAE's ambitions in space exploration and technology. Established to support and regulate the country's growing space sector, the agency plays a crucial role in advancing scientific research, developing space technologies, and fostering international cooperation in space exploration.
The agency is also a key player in Masdar City's Space Tech cluster, which includes various organizations working on satellite technology, space exploration, and related fields. This cluster is designed to support the UAE’s broader vision of becoming a leader in space science and technology, with the UAE Space Agency at the forefront of these efforts.
Masdar City partnered with oil giant BP to created The Catalyst, an investor that supports clean-tech start-ups. As of May 2023, The Catalyst supports eight start-ups. It aims to attract companies focusing on green technology, and they accept applications from local and international businesses and entrepreneurs.[4]
The Incubator Building, completed in 2012, serves as the headquarters for Masdar City and its Free Zone. It is designed around a central courtyard, which helps maintain cool air and encourages outdoor walking. The building's façade incorporates innovative design features to minimize cooling requirements, such as slanted glass sides that reduce solar gain by over a third. Inlaid porcelain circles, known as fritting, filter direct sunlight, with color-coded dots that reflect varying levels of sunlight intensity. Horizontal bands of shading at ceiling and desk height further enhance comfort by balancing light quality and reducing heat gain. These design innovations contribute to a 45% reduction in energy demand. The Incubator Building includes retail and office space to house start-ups, small-and-medium-sized enterprises, and regional offices for multinationals. Some of the most notable tenants have included General Electric, Mitsubishi, Schneider Electric, and the Global Green Growth Institute. It is rated LEED Gold.[5]
Part of Khalifa University, formerly the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, is located in Masdar City. The design of the campus emphasizes flexibility, the use of traditional architectural elements, and modern materials that minimize energy needs. By 2013, 336 students were enrolled at the institute. These students were selected from more than 2,000 applicants. Forty-two per cent of enrolled students are from the UAE and 35 per cent are female.
The university's building, developed in co-operation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, uses 51 per cent less electricity and 54 per cent less potable water than traditional buildings in the UAE, and is fitted with a metering system that constantly observes power consumption.
Initiated in 2006, the city was envisioned to cover six square kilometers and estimated to cost . The original plan was that it would take approximately eight years to build, with the first phase scheduled to be completed and habitable in 2009.
Construction began on Masdar City in February 2008 and the first six buildings of the city were completed and occupied in October 2010. However, due to the impact of the global financial crisis, completion was pushed back to between 2020 and 2025. By 2016, less than 300000m2 had been developed and final completion was estimated to be 2030., a 2030 completion date was still projected.[6]
The city is meant to be an example of sustainable urban development, innovation, and community living. As designed, the city would be home to 45,000 to 50,000 people and 1,500 businesses. More than 60,000 workers were projected to commute to the city daily.
On June 24, 2022, Masdar City broke ground on a new construction called Masdar City Square. It will cover 29,000 square meters, including a net-zero energy commercial headquarters building and six additional LEED Platinum and WELL Gold buildings. It is projected to be complete in 2024.[7] [8]
On February 2, 2023, Masdar City broke ground on The Link, a mixed-use development that will cover 30,000 square meters. It will include a net-zero energy co-lab building that will house both office and residential space, as well as four other LEED Platinum and WELL Gold buildings that will include event space, recreational and fitness facilities, and retail. It is projected to be complete in 2025.[9]
Masdar City is designed to welcome pedestrians and cyclists.
The temperature in the streets generally feels 5-10 C cooler than the surrounding desert. The difference is due to urban design. The city's core, called the podium, is raised above the surrounding area and oriented to pull wind through the streets. Buildings are clustered close together to create streets and walkways that are shielded from the sun. Additionally, a 45m (148feet) wind tower modelled on traditional Arab designs sucks air from above and creates a cooling breeze.
Masdar City is home to the widely pictured Eco-Residences, which have terracotta walls decorated with arabesque patterns and are rated LEED Platinum. Masdar City also contains a tech park made from recycled standard 40 foot unit shipping containers.
Masdar City was designed by Foster and Partners. Foster's design team started its work by touring ancient cities such as Cairo and Muscat to see how they kept cool. Foster found that these cities coped with hot desert temperatures through shorter, narrower streets, usually no longer than 70m (230feet). The buildings at the end of these streets create just enough wind turbulence to push air upwards, creating a flushing effect that cools the street.[10]
Passive design is a cornerstone of Masdar City’s approach to sustainability. This design philosophy leverages the building’s physical components and the natural environment to enhance energy efficiency and occupant comfort without relying on mechanical systems. Key passive design strategies include:
These passive design techniques have led to significant energy savings across Masdar City, with some buildings achieving energy reductions of 50% or more compared to conventional designs.
Transportation options include public mass transit and a personal rapid transit (PRT) system, which transports people in autonomous electric pods along an underground track.
In October 2010, it was announced the PRT would not expand beyond the pilot due to the cost of creating the undercroft to segregate the system from pedestrian traffic. Subsequently, a test fleet of 10 Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric cars was deployed in 2011 as part of a one-year pilot to test point-to-point transportation for the city as a complement to the PRT.
In 2018, as part of a trial project, seven autonomous shuttles, called NAVYA, began to operate on the podium, carrying passengers between the car park and the city center.[11] A further route was due to open in 2019 that ran from the residential complex above the city's North Car Park to the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Majid Al Futtaim's My City Centre Masdar Shopping Mall.[12] [13] [14]
Under a revised design, public transport within the city will rely on methods other than the PRT and NAVYA.
Masdar City is working on using a mix of electric vehicles and other clean-energy vehicles for mass transit inside the city.[15] The majority of private vehicles will be restricted to parking lots along the city's perimeter. Abu Dhabi's planned but delayed light rail and metro line may eventually connect Masdar City's center with the greater metropolitan area., connections to beyond the city continue to be by car, as a projected light rail line does not yet exist.
The original master plan envisioned a city functioning on its own grid with full carbon neutrality. Masdar City is partially powered by solar panels, but also draws power from the local grid.
Gerard Evenden, the lead architect, says that the original plan for Masdar called for powering the entire city through on-site methods such as rooftop solar panels. He said,
"When we started this project, nobody had really looked at doing projects of this scale. Then you realize it's much more efficient to build your solar field on the ground in the middle of the desert. You can send a man to brush them off every day, rather than having to access everyone's buildings individually, and you can make sure that they are running at their absolute peak. It's much better than putting them on every building in the city."
Blowing sand has been a problem for its solar panels, so Masdar City has worked with other organizations to engineer surfaces with pores smaller than sand particles to stop them from sticking on the panels.
Low-flow water fixtures are used throughout the city to reduce water use, and waste water is reused "as many times as possible," with greywater being used for crop irrigation and other purposes.
The exterior wood used throughout the city is palmwood, a sustainable hardwood-substitute developed by Pacific Green using plantation coconut palms that no longer bear fruit. Palmwood features include the entrance gates, screens and doors.
The project is supported by the global conservation charity World Wide Fund for Nature and the sustainability group Bioregional. In 2008, in response to the project's commitment to zero carbon, zero waste[16] and other environmentally friendly goals, WWF and Bioregional endorsed Masdar City as an official One Planet Living Community.[17]
The US Government has supported the project. The US Department of Energy has signed a partnership agreement with Masdar in a deal that will see the two organizations share expertise to support plans on zero-carbon cities.
The Alliance to Save Energy honored Masdar City with a 2012 EE Visionary Award in recognition of the city's contributions to the advancement of energy efficiency.
Some skeptics are concerned that the city will be only symbolic for Abu Dhabi. In an interview in 2011, Geoffrey M. Heal, a professor at Columbia Business School in New York City and an expert in environmental economics, called Masdar City "a gimmick, a way of attracting publicity and attention." Its use of solar energy is not a practical model for others to follow, Heal further noted, given that few places in the world enjoy as much year-round sunlight as the Persian Gulf.