When the original master plan for Masdar City was unveiled in 2007, the image of the world’s first entirely self-sustaining, zero-carbon, zero-waste city rising from the desert captured the world’s attention. Fatima Al Marzooqi/ The National
When the original master plan for Masdar City was unveiled in 2007, the image of the world’s first entirely self-sustaining, zero-carbon, zero-waste city rising from the desert captured the world’s attention. Fatima Al Marzooqi/ The National
When the original master plan for Masdar City was unveiled in 2007, the image of the world’s first entirely self-sustaining, zero-carbon, zero-waste city rising from the desert captured the world’s attention. Fatima Al Marzooqi/ The National
When the original master plan for Masdar City was unveiled in 2007, the image of the world’s first entirely self-sustaining, zero-carbon, zero-waste city rising from the desert captured the world’s at

Masdar City: Role model for a sustainable future


  • English
  • Arabic

Anthony Mallows cuts an unassuming figure as he walks around Masdar’s shaded walkways. Middle-aged, suited, and with his glasses on a string, he could easily be mistaken for a senior faculty member from the nearby Masdar Institute (MI), the international post-graduate research centre that helped to kick-start the Masdar City project and which has, since it opened in 2009, provided the bulk of the development’s population and given it a reason to exist.

Conducting research is, however, only a very small part of Mr Mallows’ job, and his laboratory extends far beyond the confines of Masdar’s university.

As the director of Masdar City, Mr Mallows is responsible for transforming what is arguably the world’s most famous and most sustainable university campus – a self-styled ‘clean-tech’ and innovation cluster of 16 buildings with a population that hovers around 1,000 – into a vibrant and expanding community that also acts as a relevant and a replicable model for the sustainable development of cities globally.

“Our job is to stay focused on the big picture and to make sure that everything we do has an outcome that is discrete, that is measurable, and can be talked about,” Mr Mallows says.

“If we don’t develop models and share that with people the relevance for urban development globally will be lost. We are not trying to build simply the world’s only most sustainable city only, we are trying to build the world’s most sustainable city as a model, as a test-bed. Good models are heuristic rather than deterministic. They are devices for learning rather than telling people ‘Do it this way!’ This is not a thing like a commodity.

“You can’t just take our plan and then build another Masdar in New Mexico or Sweden. It’s not a replicable commodity but it is a model about how to build sustainable cities globally.”

If that objective sounds familiar, it’s because the fundamental goal of Masdar City is one of the few things that has remained constant in a project that has experienced fundamental change.

When the original master plan for Masdar City was unveiled in 2007, the image of the world’s first entirely self-sustaining, zero-carbon, zero-waste city rising from the desert captured the world’s attention.

Beguiling artistic impressions, which seemed to have been taken straight from the pages of Incredible Science Fiction, revealed an urban utopia that blended the patterns and values of traditional walled cities with what was then considered to be the “bleeding edge” of sustainable high-tech design. A six million square metre city, home to a projected 40,000 residents and 50,000 commuters, would sit atop a podium beneath which unsightly practicalities such as the the city’s utilities, waste disposal, and transport system could be tidied away, leaving Masdar’s carefully shaded public realm free for pedestrians and cyclists.

For the city’s architects, Foster + Partners, the subsequent designers of the UAE Shanghai Expo Pavilion, Abu Dhabi’s Central Market and the forthcoming Zayed National Museum, Masdar City was more than just another new town, it was a blueprint: “Masdar promises to set new benchmarks for the sustainable city of the future” said Sir Norman Foster at the time.

The 2007 version of Masdar City was very much a plan of its time, fueled by an economic boom that appeared to have no end. Then came the 2008 financial crisis and after the hubris of the boom years, austerity-defined facts. A transformed financial landscape effectively put a break on Masdar’s development – completion of the whole city had originally been scheduled for 2016 – and an increasing number of the project’s features were either rationalised, modified, or shelved. The phrase “zero carbon, zero waste” soon disappeared from Masdar’s marketing material, and by 2010, plans for the podium, pod-based personal rapid transport system, and rooftop solar panels on every building were abandoned. Future development would now take place at ground-level and city-wide transport in the more conventional form of electric, battery-powered cars.

Within the architectural industry, many of these changes came as little surprise. “Like everybody else, I was captivated by the initial vision,” explains Yasser Elsheshtawy, a UAE-based architect and expert on urbanism in the Middle East. “It was very inspiring, very different, and seemed to suggest a way to incorporate the principles of sustainability and traditional Islamic cities while taking the climate into account, but it was also very utopian. Nobody with any sense of realism thought that it would actually happen in the way it was suggested.”

For Huda Shaka, Arup’s environment and sustainability team leader in the Middle East, the changes were actually welcome. “Revisiting the master plan was a reasonable thing to do. It’s actually a sign of a mature client. They’re saying that we didn’t get the perfect answer from the first time, we’ll look at it again and improve it incrementally. It’s very sensible.”

Outside the industry however, the changes, coupled with a lack of news emerging from Masdar City, contributed to the idea that the project was not only delayed but that it was also experiencing something of an identity crisis. Just what was Masdar City and would it ever look like the tantalising image presented in the Foster + Partners master plan?

The perception that Masdar’s focus had shifted elsewhere was also exacerbated by the highly visible success of Masdar Clean Energy, one of Masdar City’s sister organisation, which started to gain headlines and plaudits for a series of high profile projects such as the Gemasolar solar power plant in Spain, the Sheikh Zayed Solar Power Plant in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and the London Array in the UK. As recently as six months ago, Karim Elgendy, the founder of Carboun, an advocacy initiative for sustainable urban development in the Middle East, was moved to ask whether Masdar had actually dropped its plans for sustainable urban development altogether and was aiming to become a green technology investment fund instead.

Understandably, Mr Mallows is keen to counter that charge and to show that, after something of a hiatus, Masdar City is back on track.

“We are at an interesting stage in our evolution. The market has changed, technology has changed and our mission is to be far more sustainable, not only environmentally and socially, but economically as well.

“The confluence of the market, an emphasis on economic sustainability, coupled with the expansion of the airport and an emphasis on transit in Abu Dhabi, all reinforce the initial basic premise behind Masdar City, the world’s most sustainable city, as a development model, but you can’t do that without the right market forces and without the right city infrastructure.”

While these may sound like warm words, Mr Mallows is able to back his claims of progress with evidence of real momentum at Masdar City. The final phase of the Foster + Partners designed campus for the Masdar Institute is now complete and includes new student residences, apartments, laboratories, a sports hall, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

More importantly, in the soon to be occupied Siemens HQ building – the most energy efficient building in the whole of Abu Dhabi – and the 10,000 square metre Incubator building, Masdar City now has commercial office space that will help to swell its population from around its current figure of approximately 1000 to around 4000 early in the new year. When the new building that will double as the new Masdar HQ building and home to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is added to this, Mr Mallows predicts that Masdar City will have a population of 10,000 in three to five years. His confidence stems, in part, from the fact that he’s in charge of a development that is finally putting new buildings on the ground.

“When statements were made in earlier days, they were incredibly aspirational, and they couldn’t be measured because we hadn’t built anything”, he said. “We’ve now built a significant cluster and we’re measuring it. We are wiser, the world is wiser, but that’s not a wisdom based on total self-confidence, it’s based on understanding. The challenge for Masdar is to maintain the high objectives without being opportunistic. Now we know we are building the most sustainable city in the world.”

nleech@thenational.aew

FIXTURES

UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
 

Brief scores:

Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first

Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)

Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15

Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)

Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49

RESULT

Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1 
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’

The Byblos iftar in numbers

29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month

50 staff members required to prepare an iftar

200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly

160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total

500 litres of soup is served during the holy month

200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes

350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes

5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
 

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Tenet

Director: Christopher Nolan

Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh 

Rating: 5/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULT

Wolves 1 (Traore 67')

Tottenham 2 (Moura 8', Vertonghen 90 1')

Man of the Match: Adama Traore (Wolves)

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Teaching your child to save

Pre-school (three - five years)

You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.

Early childhood (six - eight years)

Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.

Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)

Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.

Young teens (12 - 14 years)

Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.

Teenage (15 - 18 years)

Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.

Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)

Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.

* JP Morgan Private Bank 

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

'Falling%20for%20Christmas'
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Janeen%20Damian%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Lindsay%20Lohan%2C%20Chord%20Overstreet%2C%20Jack%20Wagner%2C%20Aliana%20Lohan%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%201%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

Racecard
%3Cp%3E5pm%3A%20Al%20Bateen%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(Turf)%202%2C200m%3Cbr%3E5.30pm%3A%20Al%20Khaleej%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E6pm%3A%20Wathba%20Stallions%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E6.30pm%3A%20Al%20Nahyan%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%3Cbr%3E7pm%3A%20Al%20Karamah%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%3Cbr%3E7.30pm%3A%20Al%20Salam%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Bio:

Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour

Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people 

Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite food: Fish and vegetables

Favourite place to visit: London

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

While you're here
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Meg%202%3A%20The%20Trench
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBen%20Wheatley%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJason%20Statham%2C%20Jing%20Wu%2C%20Cliff%20Curtis%2C%20Page%20Kennedy%2C%20Cliff%20Curtis%2C%20Melissanthi%20Mahut%20and%20Shuya%20Sophia%20Cai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%C2%A0profile
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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMaly%20Tech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mo%20Ibrahim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%20International%20Financial%20Centre%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.6%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2015%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%2C%20planning%20first%20seed%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GCC-based%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to tell if your child is being bullied at school

Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety

Shows signs of depression or isolation

Ability to sleep well diminishes

Academic performance begins to deteriorate

Changes in eating habits

Struggles to concentrate

Refuses to go to school

Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings

Begins to use language they do not normally use