Masdar City targets completion by 2030

Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, due to be one of the world’s most sustainable eco-projects, has a target of 2030 for completion, its director of planning said.

“The target end date is 2030 based on the level of investment, but we are confident that will be achieved,” Anthony Mallows, director of planning and delivery at Masdar City told Construction Week. “Masdar City is currently being built in phases – but of course real cities are never finished.

“This approach provides us the flexibility to embrace new technologies, apply lessons learned and make improvements moving forward.

“We are now targeting 40,000 residents and 50,000 people working at the City by 2030, based on the rate of industry investment in clean technology, mobility and our financial strategy that includes third-party investors in line with Abu Dhabi’s 2030 Economic Vision,” he added.

Today, approximately 5,000 people work at Masdar City, and the development receives 2,300 visitors on average on organised visits each month.

“With the current pace of construction activity, we expect that number to exceed 15,000 within the next two to three years,” Mallows said.

Approximately 2,000 apartments are either under construction or in design through Masdar or third-party investors. This, Mallows said, will bring the residential population at Masdar City to more than 3,500 people within the next two to three years.

Construction began on Masdar City in 2008 by Masdar, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Development Company. When complete, up to 40,000 people will live in MasdarCity, with up to 50,000 working and studying in the city every day.

In April, Masdar City had announced that it had received approval from the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council of the Detailed Master Plans for Phases 2 and 5 of the City, paving the way for significant further expansion of the City.

Phase 1 amounts to more than 1 million m2 of Gross Floor Area (GFA), of which 90% is completed or under construction. Combined with Phase 2 and 5, the total GFA of the City will exceed 2 million m2.