This pushes several of my buttons:
* It makes sense to situate something like this in the UAE - they
have the money and the desert (=lots of sun and open space) to make a
great solar-powered infrastructure work.
* Making sustainability *cool* is the only way it will get wide adoption.
* Kickstarting a few high-visibility projects like these might be the
best way to get it off the ground.
Thoughts?
Udhay
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/006717.html
The Walled City of Sustainability
Sarah Rich
May 18, 2007 6:01 PM
A couple of months ago, we wrote about Abu Dhabi's Future Energy
Company and their plans to build a huge solar power plant as part of
the Masdar Initiative, a multi-part agenda for promoting and
developing renewable energy and sustainability in the UAE. A few days
ago they announced the next big thing to roll out of their master
plan: a walled city in the Emirates desert which will purportedly be
"the first zero carbon, zero-waste city in the world." Perhaps the
only other sustainable urban projects of comparable scale and
ambition are Dongtan and Huangbaiyu in China (by ARUP and William
McDonough + Partners, respectively) which in some ways share a
similar context to this project, in that they are each situated at
the edge of a burgeoning 21st century metropolis, and at the crest of
dramatic cultural transformation.
The Abu Dhabi development -- called "Masdar" -- will be designed by
the celebrated architecture firm, Foster + Partners, and will house
the Future Energy Company's headquarters, as well as a new
university. As Foster + Partners describes the project:
<q>
The principle of the Masdar development is a dense walled city
to be constructed in an energy efficient two-stage phasing that
relies on the creation of a large photovoltaic power plant, which
later becomes the site for the city's second phase, allowing for
urban growth yet avoiding low density sprawl. Strategically located
for Abu Dhabi's principal transport infrastructure, Masdar 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.
Rooted in a zero carbon ambition, the city itself is car free.
With a maximum distance of 200m to the nearest transport link and
amenities, the compact network of streets encourages walking and is
complemented by a personalised rapid transport system. The shaded
walkways and narrow streets will create a pedestrian-friendly
environment in the context of Abu Dhabi's extreme climate. It also
articulates the tightly planned, compact nature of traditional walled
cities. With expansion carefully planned, the surrounding land will
contain wind, photovoltaic farms, research fields and plantations, so
that the city will be entirely self-sustaining.
</q>
Foster + Partners isn't the only celebrity firm planning large-scale
architectural installations in the desert. Rem Koolhaas' OMA has
plans for a whole new city on the edge of the northern emirate, Ras
Al Khaimah. It's not a stretch to suggest there's something to the
opportunity uniquely offered by the UAE's combination of sprawling
undeveloped space and overflowing wealth. For a starchitect, it's the
next level of seduction -- why have a single building as your chef
d'oeuvre when you can make a whole city?
Ideally, the Foster + Partners city will be a model for sustainable
development and thereby a valid, and maybe even bar-raising, use of
space. But having recently been to the UAE (more on this still to
come), I'd say it's absolutely clear that whether or not architects
choose to build green there, they will build, and build fast.
Skyscrapers sprout like mushrooms well before there are occupants
sufficient to fill them, based on a Field of Dreams-style faith that
once it's all built, the rest will follow. Looking at Dubai's booming
tourism, it seems reasonable to expect an influx of residents and
visitors for as long as there is new infrastructure to entice them.
And while there's a very low murmur of concern about the
environmental impact and lack of foresight involved in the building
frenzy, the dominant tenor is one of excitement and anticipation
about what feels like a theme park-in-progress. One hopes that
projects like Masdar will be successful and attractive enough to spur
greater support for a development ethic that considers the UAE's
natural capital and prioritizes sustainability.
--
((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
