Masdar: The United Arab Emirate's zero-carbon city.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8586046.stm

The world's first zero-carbon city is being built in Abu Dhabi and is designed to be not only free of cars and skyscrapers but also powered by the sun.

The oil-rich United Arab Emirates is the last place you would expect to learn lessons on low-carbon living, but the emerging eco-city of Masdar could teach the world.

At first glance, the parched landscape of Abu Dhabi looks like the craziest place to build any city, let alone a sustainable one.

The inhospitable terrain suggests that the only way to survive here is with the maximum of technological support, a bit like living on the moon.

The genius of Masdar - if it works - will be combining 21st Century engineering with traditional desert architecture to deliver zero-carbon comfort. And it is being built now.

Masdar will be home to about 50,000 people, at least 1,000 businesses and a university.

It is being designed by British architects Foster and Partners, but it is the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is paying for it. And it will cost between £10bn ($15bn) and £20bn ($30bn).

(link for more info)

Interesting... It would seem some of the architectural innovations of our century are being worked on over there. <.<

Indeed.

It's practically the only place in the world that people are actually getting paid to put up buildings right now...

My UAE based cousins are experts at mocking the rich folks of that region - "I give you money, you make big big building. On it, bhut my name".

If you build it they will come...

I personally wonder what the costs per housing unit will amount to. $10-15 billion for housing 50,000 is no joke.

But originated by Western non-Muslim technicians, scientists and engineers.

ruveyn

Dude you have no idea, migrant worker paid $40 when they arrived, not paid for work they have done for months. This is the reality in UAE. Of course the Emirates are bailing out each other, but their priority is not to pay their workers. If you want to know where in the world still has indentured labour and borderline slavery this is one of the places.

The reason why you can have a zero carbon city in UAE is because you can build anything if you have enough influence or money, and the more gimmicky the better. You don't have to rely on consultation, etc.

This is a prime example of what I studied in college.

Texas is working on using wind energy much more prominently.