Sustainable urban development in Abu Dhabi

UAE

Ahmed Baghoum, CEO of Masdar City, talks to The Energy Year about sourcing the best technology and architecture for ongoing construction projects and fostering innovations that benefit the UAE and the broader region. Masdar City is an urban development, free zone and technology hub in Abu Dhabi.

What is the vision of Masdar City, and how does it fit with UAE’s Net Zero 2050 Strategy?
From day one, Masdar City has been set as a leading example of sustainability in urban development. In the past 15-17 years, we have been focusing on achieving the best technology, the best urban development and architecture for passive designs and orientation towards detailing the Masdar City plan.
At COP28, we presented our first net-zero building. In 2025, we will complete two more, at a larger scale. One of which, to no surprise, will be the home of the Department of Energy here in Abu Dhabi. We have also started constructing other platforms that are net-zero, such as a net-zero mosque, and last September, we opened the first net-zero school. We make sure that our partners embrace the highest sustainability and safety standards in the materials they use and in their operations.

What is your strategy to position Masdar City as a hub for R&D and technology innovation?
We’re attracting companies to come and establish R&D centres and propose innovative solutions to problems that Abu Dhabi and the UAE are highlighting as priorities for the nation, and then for the broader region, to address.
We offer financial support as an incentive, but our strength is that we are an ecosystem that offers innovation opportunities and access to talent. Being a free zone, Masdar City facilitates the incorporation and startup of businesses for incoming investors who may not know much about the UAE or the region. Our stakeholder management office helps them to set up. Another advantage of Masdar City is that we can facilitate access to regulators.
Of course, our sustainability credentials also play a great role. Companies have become more environmentally aware, and we prefer to back sustainable developments. Our location provides another selling point, as Abu Dhabi has been named the smartest city and the safest city for a couple of years now. Infrastructure, networks and lifestyle, combined with what we can offer here, help attract companies to Masdar City.
Our target is to grow the number of companies in the free zone by at least 20% year-on-year, and that’s a very conservative number. Last time we spoke, there were 1,000 companies, and I know that we will close 2024 with roughly 1,400.

How will Masdar City be different from today at the end of 2025?
By the end of 2025, the Masdar City Square project will be ready. It is a beautiful construction that will vertebrate much of the city’s growth going forward. It will be 50,000 square metres of gross floor area. A lot of new companies will be coming. It will be the first time that we will see a comprehensive work environment with multiple buildings in one location in Masdar City.
The commercial and residential units at The Link project will be almost ready as well, and we will see more construction happening. We are in discussions with third parties to start more residential businesses. We will be adding about 2,000 new residential units before the end of 2025. It’s a lot of construction work, and we are very happy with that because it is a push towards fulfilling our dream.

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