I went back to Masdar, the new eco-city being built in Abu Dhabi, to check out how things had progressed over the past two years. On this visit I unfortunately didn’t have a personal guide like last time. (But while it was unfortunate for me, it certainly wasn’t for her! My former student, Zeina, who used to work in Masdar’s Carbon Unit, has now married, moved to Geneva, & works there for the UN’s Office of High Commission for Human Rights.)

Masdar personal rapid transit (PRT)

Things have certainly changed at Masdar as well. The taxi dropped me off at the parking garage, and I hopped into one of the personal rapid transit (PRT) vehicles there – an electric, driverless vehicle that can reach speeds of up to 40 kph. It took me over to the Masdar Institute, a cluster of buildings housing a Knowledge Center, laboratories, and other research facilities.

Masdar Institute wind tower

Particularly noticeable is a 45m wind tower, which has louvers at the top which open in the direction of the prevailing winds, diverting wind down the tower and into a courtyard at the bottom. I sat in a coffee shop in another of the Institute’s courtyards, and read about its relationship with MIT, and the upcoming Phase II – seven new buildings, including labs, residential buildings, and a large, multi-purpose recreation center, which will double the Institute’s physical size. Work has slowed down because of the financial crisis, but the city’s first phase is expected to be completed by 2015, and the second in the early 2020’s.