Feeling the heat?

With all the speculation of whether the earth's climatic progression is a natural process of the Earth's cycle, or whether our recent consumption of resources is the main contributing factor, it's hard to know who to believe and trust.

One hazy area of all this surrounds the controversy of the climate change policy. To what extent is it necessary and how much of it is really just for capital exploitation?

One thing is certain, our climate is certainly evolving, and we need to change the way we live our lives and understand the extent to how much we exploit the Earth's resources.

Certainly, one topic that is engulfing the architecture industry currently is 'carbon-neautrality'. It's constructed around the idea that we have to as a nation create architecture that dosen't create any excess carbon from the production and maintenance of buildings.

Quite a menacing task. Que 'MASDAR Project'!

Here is one such example, of revolutionary architectural practice that is currently taking place in the Abu Dhabi, UAE.


Masdar is a project in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Its core is a planned city, designed by the British architectural firm Foster + Partners, the city will rely entirely on solar energy and other renewable energy sources, with a sustainable, zero-carbon, zero-waste ecology. The city is being constructed 17 kilometres (11 mi) east-south-east of the city of Abu Dhabi, beside Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Masdar will employ a variety of renewable power sources. Among the first construction projects will be a 40 to 60 megawatt solar power plant, which will later be followed by a larger facility totalling 130 megawatts. With additions of energy sources using geothermal and wind farm technology.

The City is modelled to ensure that no cars can enter and relies on a modular grid system which ensures that residents only have to walk or cycle 200 metres to an electrical transport system which takes them to any part of the city.

The city will also attempt to reduce waste to zero. Biological waste will be used to create nutrient-rich soil and fertiliser, and some may also be utilised through waste incineration as an additional power source. Industrial waste, such as plastics and metals, will be recycled or re-purposed for other uses.

The project still relies heavily on carbon-offset methodologies but politics and cynicism aside, it is surely a step in the right direction. This is only a tiny insight in to the potential of this project and of future buildings and cities. And hopefully projects like this, can spearhead future developments in cities such as London as well.