Masdar

In line with Abu Dhabi’s 2030 development plan, Masdar is choosing to emphasize sustainability over height. In addition to being the first mixed use net energy project in the city, the new Masdar headquarters will be the lowest energy consumer per sq ft for a Class A office building in a desert climate. It will feature one of the world’s largest photovoltaic arrays, employ the largest solar thermal driven cooling and dehumidification system, and be the first building in history to generate power for its own construction.
Construction of Masdar City commenced in February 2008. The city will be constructed over seven phases and is due to be completed by 2016. Masdasr Headquarters is part of phase one and will be completed by the end of 2010.

Abu Dhabi "Cool City"

My country is planning to build a zero-waste, zero-carbon, car-less city in the desert.

Famous for a history of development that triumphs over nature -- so much so that it transformed a desert strip into a place known for greenery and parkland -- the region's latest grand development project is for what is billed as the world's first carbon-neutral city, a community that will eventually house 50,000 people and 1,500 businesses near the emirate's airport.

Designed by British architect Norman Foster, the plans for Masdar -- Arabic for "the source" -- feature low-rise buildings with solar panels on their roofs, unlike the skyscrapers of the United Arab Emirates' capital just down the road. Much of Masdar's electricity will be generated through solar power, which will drive the cooling systems and a desalination plant producing fresh water. At present, sunshine in Abu Dhabi is an ignored resource -- it is only used to power parking meters.

The United Arab Emirates, of which Abu Dhabi is the capital, emits more pollution per head than any other country, according to a World Wildlife Fund report of October, 2006.

In addition to Masdar, Abu Dhabi plans to build the world's largest hydrogen-generated power plant, with 500 megawatts of capacity. The Louvre Abu Dhabi will be housed in a futuristic building, designed by star architect Jean Nouvel, who also designed the Institute du Monde Arab in Paris.