foster + partners: masdar institute campus

‘masdar institute campus’ by foster + partners in masdar city, abu dhabi photographer: nigel young all images courtesy foster + partners

the foster + partners designed ‘masdar institute campus’ has officially opened as the first solar powered building in masdar city, abu dhabi. inaugurated under the patronage of his highness sheikh mohammed bin zayed al nahyan, crown prince of abu dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces, his highness sheikh mansour bin zayed al nahyan, deputy prime minister and minister of presidential affairs, and lord foster, the institute is devoted to researching sustainability and will be used as a pilot test bed for the green technologies that will be explored for implementation in future buildings within the city.

detail of ‘mashrabiya’ windows

a 10 megawatt solar field within the masterplan site provides 60% more energy than is consumed by the institute, with the remaining energy being fed back to the abu dhabi grid. the campus, which consists of a main building, a knowledge centre and students’ quarters, will use significantly less energy and water than the average building in the UAE. around 30% of the campus’s energy will be covered by over 5,000 m2 of photovoltaic panels on the roof, with 75% of hot water also being heated by the sun.

the buildings feature self-shading facades that are orientated to provide maximum shade as well as sheltering adjacent building and the pedestrian streets below. windows in the residential buildings are protected by a modern reinterpretation of ‘mashrabiya’, a type of latticed projecting oriel window, constructed with sustainably developed, glass-reinforced concrete, coloured with local sand to integrate with its desert context while minimizing maintenance. the perforations for light and shade are based on the patterns found in the traditional architecture of islam.

solar panels providing shade for the pedestrian level below

the laboratories feature horizontal and vertical fins and brise soleil to shade the interior space. inflatable cushions insulate the facades, which remain cool to the touch even under the most intense desert sun. cooling air currents are channelled through public spaces by use of windtowers, which borrows its design elements from the region’s traditional structures. the public spaces are further cooled by green landscaping and water to provide evaporative cooling.

interior view of a laboratory

this building is the first of four planned phases that will bring the eventual student population to 600-800. four residential blocks surround a central laboratory and the knowledge centre, the first in a series of additional campus buildings, which will include a mosque, conference hall, and sports complex. the second phase is due to start on site by the end of 2010.