SUSTAINABLE LIVING - A MYTH OR REALITY ?

MASDAR - ZERO CARBON CITY

ELM & WILLOW HOUSE

The era of green building and sustainable living is here to stay. Is this a myth or reality?

A ‘sustainable’ iceberg hotel in Dubai, is this really a logical place where an iceberg hotel can be considered sustainable? From that perspective, sticking a piece of frozen architecture under the blazing sun of the Middle East seems the anti thesis of ‘green,’ no matter how much solar energy you harness. But that’s the idea behind the Blue Crystal, a ‘swimming world of ice offshore Dubai’ that would feature luxury restaurants, an underwater lounge and a five-level ballroom, among other amenities. Typically, the trend of new building in this era can be said to be excessive, more to project image rather than sustainability.

MASDAR City – Zero Carbon City

By 2015 the world will witness another marvel created and developed by one of the world’s richest oil producing country, Abu Dhabi. MASDAR will not only be the world's first operationally zero carbon city but it will also be the first city to be built using zero carbon energy. MASDAR is a 6 million m2 sustainable city designed to use low carbon technologies to achieve a car-free, zero waste and carbon neutral community. It has been designed using the principals of 'One Planet Living' (OPL), a set of 10 guiding principal of sustainability. MASDAR includes developing strategies for waste management, drainage and treatment of water and sewage and the distribution of energy and power throughout the city. It will also have systems for IT and telecommunications managing the intelligent infrastructures such as security systems, fire sprinkler systems, cooling systems and wireless networks.

Lay-out & Sustainable Operation

MASDAR is designed in 2 squares, 1 large square, and a smaller square. Its design of shaded walkways and narrow streets will create a pedestrian friendly environment in the context of Abu Dhabi's extreme climate. With expansion carefully planned, the surrounding land will contain energy farms, research fields, plantation and dense green spaces so that the city will be entirely self-sustaining, following the principals of OPL.

To generate the zero carbon energy to build the city, a temporary photovoltaic power plant will be installed on-site before any building commences. Zero carbon heavy machinery will be used during the construction process. As the city nears completion, the photovoltaic panels will be transferred to permanent structures within the city.

Likewise, waste-to-energy strategy involving the implementation of on-site recycling facilities for municipal solid waste and the conversion of organic waste material into gas which then runs an engine to generate electricity. This supports the OPL principal of zero waste by cutting the amount of waste going into landfill to minimum and generating electricity from the diverted waste. A water strategy that reduces the demand for water, involves water desalination to provide potable water for use in homes, the treatment of waste water and then the reuse of this water for toilet flushing and irrigation.

MASDAR has several main power sources to meet the energy that the city will demand. There will be a large solar PV power plant, a solar thermal plant using parabolic troughs which work on the principal of concentrating solar power into steam, and the waste-to-energy plant. There will also be both wind and solar PV energy farms located in the land surrounding the city. The city will house clean technology companies as well as a research and development institution established in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Transport infrastructure

Rooted in a zero carbon ambition, the city itself is car-free. There are numerous car parks that surround the city for commuters and visitors to park their cars before entering the city. With a short distance to the nearest transport link and amenities, the compact network of streets encourages walking and is complemented by a Personalized Rapid Transport (PRT) system. This system is the world's first personalized electric transport system. It works on the principal of small electric driver-less cabs carrying up to 6 passengers at a time. A passenger can choose from designated destinations throughout the city to travel to. To cater for the commuters who will travel in and out of the city every day, there is a Light Rail Transit (LRT).The LRT is an overland train that runs from Abu Dhabi city centre to the international Airport stopping at Raha Beach, a popular resort development just outside MASDAR.

Sustainable Living within the realms of our homes

Introducing the Elm & Willow house, a small project involving an extension to a house in Canterbury, Australia, suspended above the ground on steel columns and restoring the Edwardian house and building a U-shaped extension at the back. Features among which adheres to sustainability in reconstruction,

• Concrete floor and roof slabs supported above the ground to avoid damaging the roots of mature elm and willow trees on the site. Void spaces created also double up as mitigating measures which prevents wild animal intrusion.
• Enclosed courtyard around one of these trees, while sliding glass panels form a skin around the new rooms.
• Transparent and open environment, where inside and outside spaces were interchangeable elements. The link between the old and new is merged into the layering of spaces where inside and outside becomes one – the transparency of the borders separating interior and exterior allows the eye to perceive other elements that create the spatial order : fences, trees, stones, woods, clouds and borrowed landscape.
• Passive ventilation system utilizing louver windows promote cross ventilation.
• Building materials specified are non-toxic and from renewable resources, whilst the concrete structure provides thermal masses to the house with the slabs further insulated to minimize heat loss.
• Double-glazing was used to provide comfort to the interior, and the deciduous trees provide essential shading to the house during summer.
• Energy and water-saving fittings have been used throughout, and rain water harvested for non-potable consumption.
• Washbasin is supported by recycle wood sourced from around the forest, and blends naturally without use of synthetic painting. Natural sunlight is allow into the bathroom, whilst acting as drying heat of moisture found mainly in bathroom.

In retrospect, what have been described in above articles adheres to sustainable construction, in every aspect. But amid the excitement, questions arises, can policy makers, developers, town planners, architects, engineers and contractors vouch for sustainable living catering for the masses, across entire sphere of population, irrespective of class and “un-premium-ting” the cost associated with the “haves” only?

Yes, the articles typically relates on what needs to be consider as sustainable living. It is also encouraging to see adoption of sustainable concepts in new development all over the world. But the undeniable fact remains glaring. In most cases, the cost is beyond the affordability range of most people. I guess many would want to take this leap, but the wants are almost always overcome by the needs, simply because of hindrances posed by the costly tag. So, where do we go from here? It’s a chicken and egg situation, the cost is exceptional, and I can only see that these developments are always associated with image, the rich & extravagant or merely brandishing as a promotional tool? If and when sustainable living must be adopted, don’t look far, look at how houses are design and constructed during the good old days, specifically in the kampungs.

Sustainable living is not a myth, but a reality if costs are made affordable!

MASDAR Project Case Study by WSP Group, environmental consultants brief and article on Elm & Willow house from Nanyang Siang Pau, 11 July 2010.