Masdar City unveils its first Eco-Villa

Masdar City, Abu Dhabi's urban innovation ecosystem, launched a new concept for sustainable villas that generate enough solar energy to power the homes year-round. The eco-villas are designed to accommodate future population growth and meet a growing demand for sustainable family homes.

"With nearly eight million people expected to live in the UAE's urban centres by 2020, this rising population increases the imperative to design high-quality sustainable homes that use fewer natural resources than existing homes," said Dr. Ahmad Belhoul, CEO of Masdar.

"Masdar City has pushed the boundaries of sustainable design since its launch, and now we are taking our knowledge to the next level with this vision of the 21st century single-family home. The eco-villas are central to the City's goals to meet the lifestyle needs of a growing urban population, while reducing these buildings' consumption of water, energy and waste.

"We have leveraged the experience we gained during the initial phase of Masdar City's development with the construction and completion of Masdar Institute. We then continued to incorporate new best practices as the City expanded in recent years. This legacy of sustainable innovation is evident in these concept homes as we strengthen our commitment to the development of a world class community where people will want to live, learn, work and play," Dr. Belhoul added.

The four-bedroom villa concept includes an array of high-performance solar panels that will generate approximately 40,000 KWh per year. Careful orientation of the home, optimised natural lighting, a high-performance envelope as well as low-energy LED lighting and other design techniques will reduce the home's annual energy demand to an estimated 39,000 KWh each year, slightly less energy than the panels are expected to generate.

The eco-villa design would divert an estimated 63 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere while reducing demand on the national electrical grid. The homes are expected to use 35 per cent less water than standard villas, thanks to low-flow toilets, faucets and showers, and other innovative water conservation measures.

Masdar City is showcasing its various developments and business and investment opportunities at Cityscape Abu Dhabi, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). Spokespeople will be on hand to answer questions at stand 6A10, between halls five and six, from April 21-23, 2015.
Source: WAM