Abu dhabi's Masdar HQ

The
design for the building, the first detail design for the plan, comes
with a flurry of superlatives including claims that it will:

Be the world’s first ‘large-scale, mixed-use “positive energy” building, providing more energy than it consumes.
Be the lowest energy consumer per square meter for a modern class A office building
Feature one of the world’s largest building-integrated photovoltaic arrays
Employ
the largest solar thermal driven cooling and dehumidification system –
the world’s lowest impact active building conditioning system.

First of a Kind

Gordon
Gill, Partner at AS+GG, said: “The Masdar Headquarters will set a new
paradigm for the way buildings are designed, constructed and inhabited.
The project represents the perfect integration of architecture and
engineering, resulting in a dynamic, inviting building that outperforms
any other structure of its type in the world.”

When
complete, it will house residential units as well as workplaces for
start ups. The complex will be built from sustainable materials and
feature integrated wind turbines, outdoor air quality monitors and one
of the world’s largest building-integrated solar energy arrays. The
Masdar HQ has been designed to cut 70% of water usage from an average
building of its size.

Groundbreaking
for the whole development, which was masterplanned by Foster +
Partners, took place in at the beginning of last month. Fosters will
also design a University facility. In January, the scheme received a
government grant of $15 billion, the largest of its kind. The City is
intended to be powered fully by CSP and waste-to-energy conversion.
Construction of Masdar City is due to complete in 2016; the ‘headquarters’ is set to be finished by the end of 2010.

How will it work?

Masdar
HQ is built around the shapes of cones and flat planes. The idea and
structure was inspired by palm trees, adept at creating oases and
retaining moisture within the average 39 degree Celsius summer heat,
architect Gordon Gill told Building. The cone and roof structure shades
the water from the fountains below, effectively creating a microclimate.
The
cones are chamfered at the top and the rush of air over the top creates
negative pressure, drawing cool air from the subterranean level through
the six-story space. The top of each can be closed off to help provide
cross ventilation or in the case of a dust storm.
Meanwhile, the
cones themselves, being made from glass angled at 15-22 reflect between
15-20% of the light, crucially reducing thermal gain while letting
sufficient light in from beneath the shaded roof to keep the place
bright. The cones are at the optimum nine metres apart which allows
diffuse light to reach the whole building.
The shape of the cone
also adds efficiency to the use of the structure, minimising their
extent on grade A office spaces. From an aesthetic point of view, the
view from the gardens through the cones to the ground floor fountains
will be memorable.
Another key sustainability aspect of the building
will be its building method which is intended to be carbon neutral. The
PV roof will be built first to provide power for the rest of the
construction process as well as shading the builders during their
efforts. Possible next steps might include fitting a crane to the
downside of the roof.
Gill confirms that a host of engineers worked on the project and that it is based on "basic ideas of energy movement."