How my CAJ topic might affect the life of an average Joe in 2039 - Narrative Text

How my CAJ topic might affect the life of an average Joe in 2039

Joe Average lives in the United Arab Emirates near Abu Dhabi, in Masdar City. He moved there in 2020 when Masdar I finally completed its residential buildings. Joe had been studying at the University of Oxford when he was offered a full tuition scholarship in Masdar. After his scholarship ended, he decided to stay in the City, because he was amazed at how it operates. Today he works at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology as the head of the Water and Environmental Engineering programme.

Joe lives in one of the symbolic terracotta apartments of Masdar on the third floor. However, he never has problems with the Arabian heat. Thanks to the orientation of the streets and the smart architecture, such as the tall buildings on the other side of the narrow street, his apartment is perfectly protected from the heat of the blazing sun. The solar panels on the roof produce additional energy, which can be used for air conditioning as well. His apartment is just as smart from the inside as from the outside. It is equipped with various appliances, for example smart water meter, which measure the amount of energy used and they warn, whenever a certain amount is reached. The water Joe uses is 100% recycled, mainly for irrigation.

Joe does not have any cars, nor do the other residents of Masdar. The city’s pedestrian-focused design enables people to walk along the shaded streets enjoying the cool breeze and the sight of the masterpieces of creative high-tech architecture. For those who still prefer travelling other than on foot, they can order small, computer-guided, driverless electric cars called personal rapid transport, PRT for short. The cars wait for the passengers in front of the entrance of their house and transport people to the desired destination within Masdar. Outside the city, various means of public transportation are available, the system of which is so developed that cars has become unnecessary.

Although Joe Average had lived in the city where the Industrial Revolution emerged,  he would not leave the world’s first zero-carbon city anymore. He believes that the next such revolution can only be the Revolution of Sustainability. Now, as the development of Masdar II is about to finish and Masdar III’s plans are lying on the desk of the architect, it seems that Joe’s dream is just about to come true.

[394 words]

General description of my CAJ - Introduction

General description of my CAJ

The focus of my Current Affairs Journal is the advanced infrastructure megaprojects that are currently under development. Megaprojects are enormous and expensive business projects that cost more than US$1 billion and have substantial impacts on communities, environment and budgets. Megaprojects can be various, such as bridges, tunnels, railways, power plants, Special Economic Zones, public buildings, aerospace projects, etc. The scope of my research is the infrastructure related projects, more exactly two projects related to the environment and sustainability: Masdar City and Desertec.

The first section of my CAJ has been mostly completed. It is centred on a city called Masdar, which aims to be the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city powered by renewable energy. This clean technology cluster, also called an innovation playground and a pioneer in smart urban design is in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. The project started in 2006 and the city is supposed to be fully built-out by 2020-2025.

In order to become a model of sustainability, all fields of the development had to be controlled thoroughly. First of all, planning and design plays a crucial role in the profile of the city. The smart urban design combines elements of the traditional Arabian architecture with cutting-edge technology in order to minimise energy use and carbon footprint. The city’s orientation, building efficiency, the wind towers built across the city and the tall buildings shading the streets and each other all contribute to the cooling process, thus reducing energy consumption.

Concerning energy management, the production of onsite renewable energy (solar, biomass, wind and geothermal energy) is supposed to be as high as 20%. To reduce energy use at home, smart technologies are installed. Wastewater is 100% recycled, for example for irrigation. The goal of waste management is to maximise the resource potential of waste materials. Waste is either reused, recycled, composted or used for recovery of energy. To reduce the carbon footprint and to prevent air pollution, PRT (personal rapid transport) system is used, which consists of pilotless, computer-driven electric cars.

In order to operate the city sustainably, its ultimate goal is to invite companies to Masdar. Siemens announced it will move its Middle East Headquarters Building to Masdar by 2014. Many other companies, such as General Electrics, Mitsubishi and Schneider Electrics are joining Siemens this year.

Although the master plan could not be carried out without changes and compromises which had to be made for financial reasons, Masdar is already one of the most sustainable communities worldwide and is a model for future cities.

[419 words]

CAJ: Advanced infrastructure megaprojects - Masdar City #4 (How?)

Masdar City

The predictions say that by 2030, 60 percent of the population - 5 billion people - will live in cities.* Masdar City is being developed in order to be a model for future cities and to set an example, how to operate sustainably.

How?

Masdar City is also referred to as "a laboratory for hi-tech environmental technology" (The Guardian, 2011). Perhaps the first and most eye-catching feature of Masdar is its smart urban planning. Elements of the traditional Arabian architecture are in perfect harmony with the state-of-the-art modern buildings.

Masdar master plan

The first step in order to achieve the goal of being one of the most sustainable cities worldwide is the planning and design. The city is oriented on a southeast-northwest axis, so that the streets are shaded throughout the day. As a result, building walls do not warm up that easily. Not only the sun but also the prevailing winds were taken into consideration. Due to this orientation and the wind towers built across the city cooling breezes can flow easily among the buildings. The difference in temperature between Abu Dhabi and Masdar City can be as high as 20°C. All these factors contribute to the fact that the city is also called a "pioneer in sustainable design".

Wind tower

Photovoltaic solar plants

Energy management is the next factor, which has to be seriously considered. The goal is to minimise energy consumption by building efficiency, for example by insulation, low-energy lighting, optimizing natural light and by using smart appliances. The production of onsite renewable energy is supposed to be as high as 20%. The solar photovoltaic plant is built across 22 hectares and solar panels are placed on the roofs as well, the task of which is to generate electricity. The tube solar collectors are in charge of producing domestic hot water. Finally, concentrated solar and geothermal heat is being tested as possible air conditioning. In addition to these, offsite energy is imported to the city.

In terms of water management, special technologies and systems are used in order to reduce water-use, for example smart water meters are installed. Wastewater is 100% recycled, mostly for irrigational purposes.

Concerning waste management, the goal is to minimise the amount of waste to landfill and to maximise the resource potential of waste materials. Various methods are used, such as reusing, recycling, composting and the recovery of energy. Waste has four main categories:

• dry recyclables (cans, plastics, cardboard, papers, etc.)
• wet recyclables (food and organic waste)
• residuals (not clearly one of the two)
• hazardous waste, bulky waste, batteries

Waste management begins with separation and continues with transportation to local or regional reprocessing facilities. Wet recyclables are composted and used for landscaping.


Further information on Masdar's sustainable landscape design (with pictures)


Masdar City in 60 seconds:
(longer version from Fully Charged on YouTube available)

Masdar City's master plan aimed to create a pedestrian-focused community. According to the plan the main means of transportation is the PRT (personal rapid transit), an electric car system consisting of computer-guided, pilotless vehicles running via magnets and fibre-optic cables. The company 2gettehere's system at Masdar features 1.1 miles of guideway, five stations and 13 vehicles.

PRT (personal rapid transport)

Video: Masdar City in 2013

Unfortunately, the Masdar City master plan is in constant change as a result of the constant change of the world economy and the technology. The world's first zero-carbon city has had to make compromises because of the recession the global clean tech market. Although groundwater was supposed to be desalinated with solar energy, now water is piped in from a gas-fired desalination plant. The original plan would have only used on-site energy.The original plans were more costly and the head of Programme and Strategy at Masdar City has made a point when he stated that "Building something that is too expensive for anyone to live in, is not sustainable".

*Source: Masdar.ae




Further posts on topic: Introduction, What? Where?, When?, Who? Why?

CAJ: Advanced infrastructure megaprojects - Masdar City #3 (Who? Why?)

Masdar City

Who? - Director

The director of Masdar City is Alan Frost, who is responsible for the entire development of the city. He oversees among other things the organisational structure and the master planning of the city, including design and infrastructure. He is an engineering and real estate development professional who has already worked in various continents (e.g. Australia, Asia, America and Europe). Alan Frost has gained extensive experience, as he has been the driving force behind numerous innovative multimillion- and multibillion-dollar projects.

Alan Frost, director

An interview with Alan Frost

Who? - Architect

Sir Norman Foster, architect (Foster + Partners)

The Masdar City master plan and the Masdar Institute design were developed by Foster + Partners, who has an international recognition for high-tech architecture. Norman Foster is a prizewinning British architect, to whose name, among other things, the Wembley Stadium and the 30 St Mary Axe (also known as "the Gherkin") in London can be attributed.

Wembley Stadium, London

30 St Mary Axe ("the Gherkin"), London

Masdar City master plan

Masdar Institute

Why?

Abu Dhabi owns the world's fifth largest oil reserves and the sixth largest natural gas reserves. "The Emirate has enough hydrocarbon reserves to last beyond 100 years."* Then why has the capital of the United Arab Emirates initially invested 15 billion dollars into developing Masdar?

Abu Dhabi set the first renewable energy policy in 2009, which requires at least seven percent of the capital's power generation capacity to come from renewable sources by 2020. In 2006, the leadership of Abu Dhabi decided to establish a renewable energy sector in the country. That's how the Masdar Initiative was created, which is driven by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC), also called Masdar.

Who? - Owner

The Masdar Project is launched by the Mubadala Development Company owned by the government of Abu Dhabi. The word 'Masdar' means 'the source' in Arabic, the source of knowledge, expertise and innovation in this case. The Masdar Project embarks four units, of which the city itself is only one, serving as a model for sustainable urban planning. In addition, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology is a source of human capital, Masdar Capital focuses on investments into clean tech companies and Masdar Clean Energy is responsible for developing renewable energy projects.

*Source: http://www.masdar.ae/assets/downloads/content/226/masdar_corporate_brochure_v7.pdf

Further posts on topic: Introduction, When?, What? Where? How?

CAJ: Advanced infrastructure megaprojects - Masdar City #2 (When?)

Masdar City

When?

A short history of Masdar

The plan to build Masdar City has been announced in 2006. According to the "Masdar master plan" the city was supposed to be complete by 2016. The goals of the master plan were the following:

• building a 6 km2 walled city with a targeted population of 47,000 people and 1,500 businesses
• using 100% renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass and geothermal)
• car-free city, travelling provided by walking, biking, mass transit and a personal rapid transit system (see How?)
• zero waste and zero carbon emission
• a research university (Masdar Institute) assisted by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Construction on Masdar

However, by 2009 Masdar had to face a couple of problems. Although the construction was moving forward, at a much slower pace than expected. The solar panels, installed in order to provide energy for the whole city, are constantly covered in sand due to the frequent sandstorms. However, experts say that these dust storms mean less a problem for Masdar than for example cloudy days do for European solar plants.

Dust storm

Unfortunately it was announced in 2010 that the project could not be finished earlier than 2020. The master plan had to be revisited due to the weak property market in Abu Dhabi. It was decided that not all of the electricity would be produced on site but should be imported.

Masdar is only expected to be fully built-out by 2020-2025. By then the city is supposed to have 40,000 residents and 50,000 commuters. However, now as Masdar is still under construction, it is referred to an innovation playground instead of a real city. Today its only residents are scientists and students from all over the world, who are continuously working on the sustainability of Masdar. As of September 2013, the total number of students exceeded 400, 162 of whom were UAE nationals*.

Masdar Institute

In 2011 at the end of the first phase of the constructions the city consisted of a street, 102 residential apartments, a large electronic library and the Masdar Institute, which is a research-driven, graduate-level university. The first six complete buildings of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology campus included three residential buildings, two laboratory buildings and a Knowledge Centre. 

In the frame of the second phase Masdar Institute will double the size of the university campus enlarging the sports and other cultural facilities. Apart from enlarging the university, inviting companies to Masdar is the ultimate goal. According to the manager of program management and investments for Masdar City “It’s one thing to use less energy, it’s another thing to create an attractive real estate development that uses less energy.”
Siemens announced moving its Siemens Middle East Headquarters Building to Masdar by 2014. At the end of January the first employees arrived and altogether 800 are expected to work in Masdar. In addition to Siemens, numerous medium and small-sized companies, such as General Electrics, Mitsubishi and Schneider Electrics are moving to Masdar this year. More than 100 companies have already registered to open up shops in Masdar City. The first commercial building in the city, the four-storey, 10,000 m2 Incubator Building has been aroused to host these companies.

Siemens Building

Incubator Building

Although the history of Masdar has not always been flourishing, the project is - if with alterations from the original plan - moving forward. Though in order to maintain and prosper the city, apart from the sustainability it also plays a crucial role, who is living and working in Masdar.

*Sources: http://www.masdar.ac.ae/about-us/fast-facts
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/masdar-update




Further posts on topic: Introduction, What? Where?, Who? Why? How?

CAJ: Advanced infrastructure megaprojects - Masdar City #1 (What? Where?)

Masdar City

The first research topic of my Currant Affairs Journal is going to be Masdar City. In this post my aim is to give you an overall picture on this megaproject. In order to organise the results of my research I am going to try to answer the basic questions of What? Where? When?, Who? Why? and How?. At the end of each CAJ blog post further links are to be found, redirecting to my other posts in this topic.

What is Masdar City?

Masdar City master plan

According to the website masdarcity.ae, Masdar City is "one of the most sustainable communities on the planet" and is a "model of green urban development".
Masdar is supposed to be the world's first zero-carbon and car free city with zero-waste ecology. The aim of Masdar City is to operate with the lowest ecological footprint possible. It will rely on renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power. Masdar City is referred to as an emerging clean tech* cluster. The city is the place of clean tech research and development, pilot projects and technology testing, as well as the construction of the world's most sustainable buildings.

*Clean technology (or clean tech): "products, processes or services that reduce waste and require as few non-renewable resources as possible" (WhatIs.com - Business Terms)

Welcome to Masdar City:

What is renewable energy?

Where?

Perhaps one of the most surprising facts about this project is its location.

Imagine a vast, sweltering desert on the Arabian Peninsula, where the average monthly temperature is sometimes as high as 35 °C. There is a relatively small country on the edge of that desert, called the United Arab Emirates, the most populous city of which is called Dubai, you might have already heard of it. Go 130 km southwest from Dubai and there you are: Masdar City.

Masdar City is situated on the Arabian Peninsula, in the United Arab Emirates, approximately 30 km from the capital, Abu Dhabi.

Masdar City on Google Maps

Further posts on topic: Introduction, When?, Who? Why? How?

CAJ: Advanced infrastructure megaprojects - Introduction

Advanced infrastructure megaprojects

In the following months I would like to devote myself to this research project where my aim is to provide an in-depth description on advanced infrastructure megaprojects which are currently under development.

First of all, what are megaprojects?

• "a very large, expensive, or ambitious business project" (Collins Dictionary)
• "Projects that cost more than US$1 billion and attract a lot of public attention because of substantial impacts on communities, environment, and budgets."
• Megaprojects can be: "bridges, tunnels, highways, railways, airports, seaports, power plants, dams, wastewater projects, Special Economic Zones, oil and natural gas extraction projects, public buildings, information technology systems, aerospace projects, and weapons systems" (Wikipedia)

As the list above shows, megaprojects can be very diverse, so the scope of my research is going to be infrastructure related projects.

Masdar City under construction

The subtopics which I am planning to investigate:

(links to be added!)

• Masdar City 
• What? Where?
• When?
• Who? Why?
• How?
• Desertec
• What? When?
• Where?
• Who?
• Why?
• How?
• Crossrail
• space solar energy

They are all amazingly interesting topics, though I am afraid that this semester will not be long enough to discuss all of them in detail, but let's see!