Original Masterplan Designer Visits Masdar City

26 October 2015, Abu Dhabi - The designer of Masdar City’s original masterplan in 2007, Lord Norman Foster, visited Masdar City on Sunday, 25 October 2015 in his capacity as chairman and founder of British architectural practice Foster + Partners.

At Masdar City, Lord Foster met with Dr Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of Masdar, Dr Ahmad Belhoul, CEO of Masdar, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, COO of Masdar, Anthony Mallows, Director of Masdar City and Dr Behjat Al Yousuf, Interim Provost of Masdar City. He also toured the City, which has grown significantly since its inception and is set to grow to more than 500,000 square meters by 2019 from its current 160,000 gross floor area.

Commenting on his visit, Lord Foster said, “It is fantastic to see Masdar City embarking on its next phase of growth. Masdar City is a global model for sustainable principles which can be incorporated into architecture and town planning to create integrated communities for students, businesses and residents.”

Dr Ahmad Belhoul, speaking on Lord Foster’s visit, said “When building a sustainable city in Abu Dhabi was just a bold idea, Foster + Partners was a critical partner in translating the vision into an actionable design plan. As we enter our next phase of growth, Masdar City continues to apply Foster + Partner’s original design principles of low-rise, high-density residences, sustainable transportation, controlled growth, and traditional Arab settlement design.”

Masdar City is an urban ecosystem, located 17 km from downtown Abu Dhabi, which offers access to knowledge, research and development, a technology cluster and a competitive investment zone. This low-carbon, low-waste sustainable urban development, 60% of which will be residential, is pioneering a “green print” for how cities of the future can accommodate urbanization while remaining resource efficient.