ZAYED FUTURE ENERGY PRIZE RECOGNIZES DIPAL C. BARUA.
Inaugural prize awarded to Barua for bringing renewable energy to rural communities
Abu Dhabi, January 20, 2009 – The first annual Zayed Future Energy Prize was awarded on January 19 by His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to Mr. Dipal Chandra Barua, Founding Managing Director of Grameen Shakti for his visionary efforts to bring renewable energy solutions to the rural population of Bangladesh.
The Zayed Future Energy Prize finalist, Dr. Martin Green, was also recognized at the award ceremony for his groundbreaking research in photovoltaic (PV) technology that will result in increased efficiencies, bringing solar energy closer to grid parity.
The Prize was launched in January 2008 at the inaugural World Future Energy Summit to honour the legacy of environmental stewardship of the UAE’s late ruler and founding father, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
The award winner, Mr. Barua, and the finalist, Dr. Green will receive US$1.5 million and US$350,000, respectively, to accelerate the development of their innovations.
Mr. Barua’s organization, Grameen Shakti (GS), has installed more than 200,000 solar PV systems that currently provide power for more than two million rural people. Under Mr. Barua’s leadership, GS has developed a number of other innovative initiatives, including a biogas technology that converts cow and poultry waste into gas for cooking, lighting and fertilizer. GS has installed more than 6,000 biogas plants and plans to construct 500,000 more by 2012. In addition, GS has trained rural women to be solar technicians hereby enabling green entrepreneurs through a highly successful micro-credit program.
“It is a great honour to receive this recognition inspired by the vision of HH the late Sheikh Zayed,” said Mr. Barua. “I consider myself a global Ambassador of the Prize, and would like to carry forward the message of environmental sensitivity that is being championed by the leadership of Abu Dhabi.”
“We share this award with the rural people of Bangladesh who have demonstrated incredible ambition and innovation in adopting clean, renewable technologies to solve their daily energy challenges in the rural areas,” added Mr. Barua.
The finalist, Dr. Green is a leading researcher in the field of PV. He is currently developing “third-generation” solar cells that will help decrease costs to less than US$0.50/W, to potentially $0.20/W or better, which will drastically increase the economic viability of this technology.
“I firmly believe that many of our future energy needs can be addressed by photovoltaic technology,” said Dr. Green. “I’m proud that as one of the first recipients of this award, PV technology and its importance in the renewable energy mix is also being recognized as a commercially viable solution.”
“I am confident that the Prize will help boost our efforts to accelerate the development, and market entry of third-generation PV modules,” he added.
“It is quite inspirational to be a part of Zayed Future Energy Prize,” said Nobel Laureate Dr. RK Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Chairman of the jury for ZFEP. “The technologies and the innovative solutions that we’ve seen through the submission process are a good reminder of the ability of human innovation to solve our global challenges.”
Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted future energy initiative, is the prize’s founding organization. As one of its chief objectives, Masdar aims to be an open platform to bring together the world’s innovative solutions to energy challenges. “These winners and their innovations embody the very qualities the Zayed Future Energy Prize aims to recognize – pioneering, ambitious ideas that provide us with a more sustainable future,” Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Director General of the Prize and Chief Executive of Masdar. “This prize encourages us to be bold, to innovate, to strive and to act. A quality that we inherited from our father, the late HH Sheikh Zayed who taught us to make a meaningful and sustainable impact on the world we live in,” added Al Jaber in the ceremony’s opening.
Submissions were received from more than 50 countries from every region of the world, including the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, China, Bangladesh, Germany, Brazil, Russia, Canada and Spain. The pool of 204 total submissions was reduced to twenty by a selection committee of senior technical, commercial and energy policy experts.
The jury members – Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of the Republic of Iceland; Khaled Irani, Minister of Environment of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; H.E. Ahmed Ali Sayegh, Chairman of Masdar; Lord Browne,Managing Director of Riverstone Holdings; Lord Norman Foster, Chairman of Foster+Partners; and Jeremy Rifkin, President of the Foundation on New Economic Trends – selected the final two winners.
About Masdar
The Masdar Initiative is Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted future energy initiative advancing the development, commercialization and deployment of renewable and alternative energy technologies and solutions. Masdar is driven by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC), and is wholly owned by the Mubadala Development Company. For more information about the Masdar Initiative, please visit http://www.masdaruae.com.
About Zayed Future Energy Prize
The Zayed Future Energy Prize was created in honour of the legacy of the late Ruler of Abu Dhabi and Founding Father of the United Arab Emirates, HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The prize aims to inspire the next generation of global energy innovators – creating solutions for the future. The Prize is awarded annually to up to three individuals, companies, organisations and/or NGOs that have made significant contributions in the global response to the future of energy, climate change and sustainable global energy resources.
High-resolution images of Masdar City and the 2009 World Future Energy Summit are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/masdar/.
Press Contacts: Masdar: Serene SerhanPublic Relations ManagerTel +971 50 854 43269sserhan@masdar.ae
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Showing posts with label Masdar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Masdar. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Monday, February 25, 2008
Masdar Headquarters to Be Located in World's First 'Positive Energy' Mixed-Use Building
Masdar Headquarters to Be Located in World's First 'Positive Energy' Mixed-Use Building
Chicago architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture win global competition to design Masdar's headquarters in first zero-carbon, zero-waste city
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 22 2008 -- Masdar announced today that it has chosen Chicago architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) to design its headquarters in Abu Dhabi's Masdar City, the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste city fully powered by renewable energy. The headquarters will be the world's first large-scale, mixed-use "positive energy" building, producing more energy than it consumes. In addition to being the location of Masdar Headquarters, the building will accommodate private residences and 'early bird' businesses starting up in the city. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, said AS+GG is internationally recognized for high-performance, energy-efficient and sustainable architecture. "We know Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture share our vision for Masdar's headquarters. This building is at the heart of Masdar City, and its net positive energy design and new innovations will reflect our mission of developing sustainable future energy solutions."
AS+GG teamed with Chicago-based MEP engineers Environmental Systems Design and structural engineers Thornton Tomasetti on the design, which includes numerous systems that will generate a surplus of the building's energy, eliminate carbon emissions and reduce liquid and solid waste. The complex will utilize sustainable materials and feature integrated wind turbines, outdoor air quality monitors and one of the world's largest building-integrated solar energy arrays. Compared with typical mixed-use buildings of the same size, the Headquarters will consume 70 percent less water.
"In line with the Abu Dhabi 2030 Development Plan, Masdar is choosing to emphasize sustainability over height. We hope and expect this will set a new direction for worldwide competition in sustainable design," Dr. Al Jaber continued.
In addition to being the first mixed-use net positive energy building in the world, AS+GG's Masdar Headquarters will:
-- Be the lowest energy consumer per square meter for a modern class A office building in an extremely hot and humid climate -- Feature one of the world's largest building-integrated photovoltaic arrays -- Employ the largest solar thermal driven cooling and dehumidification system -- Be the first building in history to generate power for its own assembly, through development of its solar roof pier before the underlying complex
"We're thrilled to be working on a project of this importance and magnitude. Masdar Headquarters is one of the most significant developments of our time," said Adrian Smith, partner, AS+GG. "As a positive energy complex, the project will have a far-reaching influence on the buildings of tomorrow."
"Masdar Headquarters will set a new paradigm for the way buildings are designed, constructed and inhabited," said Gordon Gill, partner, AS+GG. "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."
Construction of Masdar City commenced with a formal ground-breaking ceremony on February 9, 2008. The City will be constructed over seven phases and is due to be completed by 2016. Masdar's headquarters is part of phase one and will be completed by the end of 2010.
The design competition for Masdar's headquarters was managed by the Louis Berger Group and began with a field of 159 participants, which was narrowed down to 15 architecture and design firms. The criteria for selection of the 15 included building functionality, water and wastewater efficiency, indoor environmental quality, zero carbon emission, carbon footprint reduction and firm experience. Four global leaders in sustainable architecture and design were then chosen to submit final proposals.
A global jury of seven world renowned design and urban planning experts chose AS+GG's design from the finalists. The jury consisted of:
-- A. Hashim Sarkis -- Aga Khan Professor of Landscape, Architecture and Urbanism in Muslim Societies in the Department of Urban Planning & Design at Harvard's Graduate School of Design (Cambridge, MA) -- Dennis A. Andrejko -- Associate Professor at the University of Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning (Buffalo, NY) -- Greg Mella, AIA, LEED AP -- Principal at SmithGroup (Washington, D.C.) -- Jean-Marie Charpentier -- Architect for Maison Mozart (Paris) -- Dr. Hans-Rudolf Schalcher -- Professor at the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction (Zurich), where he is also the Head of Technical Competence Center and Member of the Management Board; Chair of the Planning and Management in Construction for the Institute for Construction Engineering and Management at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Zurich) -- John Quale -- Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia's School of Architecture (Charlottesville, VA) -- Volker Hartkopf -- Professor of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, The Robert L. Preger Intelligent Workplace; Director at CBPD (Pittsburgh, PA)
About Masdar
Masdar is Abu Dhabi's multi-faceted, multi-billion dollar investment in the development and commercialization of advanced and innovative technologies in renewable, alternative and sustainable energies as well as green design. By applying scale and leveraging Abu Dhabi's low-cost, tax-free manufacturing base, businesses will enjoy significant competitive advantages, allowing them to compete internationally and provide significant diversification to the Abu Dhabi economy.
To learn more about Masdar, please visit www.masdaruae.com.
About Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
AS+GG is focused on the design of high-performance architecture on an international scale and is dedicated to the creation of new paradigms for sustainable development. The office utilizes a holistic, integrated design approach emphasizing a symbiotic relationship with the natural environment -- or 'global environmental contextualism.' The approach reduces negative environmental impact and, in some cases, virtually eliminates it. Sites of current projects include Chicago, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Mumbai, Vancouver, Belgrade, London and China.
To learn more about AS+GG, please visit www.smithgill.com
CONTACT: Masdar: Michael Iacovella, +1 212 704 8254, michael.iacovella@edelman.com AS+GG: Carrie Neill, +1 312 676 3004, carrieneill@smithgill.com For b-roll, renderings, fly-through animation or stills: http://www.thenewsmarket.com/masdar
Source: Masdar
Chicago architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture win global competition to design Masdar's headquarters in first zero-carbon, zero-waste city
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 22 2008 -- Masdar announced today that it has chosen Chicago architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) to design its headquarters in Abu Dhabi's Masdar City, the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste city fully powered by renewable energy. The headquarters will be the world's first large-scale, mixed-use "positive energy" building, producing more energy than it consumes. In addition to being the location of Masdar Headquarters, the building will accommodate private residences and 'early bird' businesses starting up in the city. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, said AS+GG is internationally recognized for high-performance, energy-efficient and sustainable architecture. "We know Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture share our vision for Masdar's headquarters. This building is at the heart of Masdar City, and its net positive energy design and new innovations will reflect our mission of developing sustainable future energy solutions."
AS+GG teamed with Chicago-based MEP engineers Environmental Systems Design and structural engineers Thornton Tomasetti on the design, which includes numerous systems that will generate a surplus of the building's energy, eliminate carbon emissions and reduce liquid and solid waste. The complex will utilize sustainable materials and feature integrated wind turbines, outdoor air quality monitors and one of the world's largest building-integrated solar energy arrays. Compared with typical mixed-use buildings of the same size, the Headquarters will consume 70 percent less water.
"In line with the Abu Dhabi 2030 Development Plan, Masdar is choosing to emphasize sustainability over height. We hope and expect this will set a new direction for worldwide competition in sustainable design," Dr. Al Jaber continued.
In addition to being the first mixed-use net positive energy building in the world, AS+GG's Masdar Headquarters will:
-- Be the lowest energy consumer per square meter for a modern class A office building in an extremely hot and humid climate -- Feature one of the world's largest building-integrated photovoltaic arrays -- Employ the largest solar thermal driven cooling and dehumidification system -- Be the first building in history to generate power for its own assembly, through development of its solar roof pier before the underlying complex
"We're thrilled to be working on a project of this importance and magnitude. Masdar Headquarters is one of the most significant developments of our time," said Adrian Smith, partner, AS+GG. "As a positive energy complex, the project will have a far-reaching influence on the buildings of tomorrow."
"Masdar Headquarters will set a new paradigm for the way buildings are designed, constructed and inhabited," said Gordon Gill, partner, AS+GG. "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."
Construction of Masdar City commenced with a formal ground-breaking ceremony on February 9, 2008. The City will be constructed over seven phases and is due to be completed by 2016. Masdar's headquarters is part of phase one and will be completed by the end of 2010.
The design competition for Masdar's headquarters was managed by the Louis Berger Group and began with a field of 159 participants, which was narrowed down to 15 architecture and design firms. The criteria for selection of the 15 included building functionality, water and wastewater efficiency, indoor environmental quality, zero carbon emission, carbon footprint reduction and firm experience. Four global leaders in sustainable architecture and design were then chosen to submit final proposals.
A global jury of seven world renowned design and urban planning experts chose AS+GG's design from the finalists. The jury consisted of:
-- A. Hashim Sarkis -- Aga Khan Professor of Landscape, Architecture and Urbanism in Muslim Societies in the Department of Urban Planning & Design at Harvard's Graduate School of Design (Cambridge, MA) -- Dennis A. Andrejko -- Associate Professor at the University of Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning (Buffalo, NY) -- Greg Mella, AIA, LEED AP -- Principal at SmithGroup (Washington, D.C.) -- Jean-Marie Charpentier -- Architect for Maison Mozart (Paris) -- Dr. Hans-Rudolf Schalcher -- Professor at the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction (Zurich), where he is also the Head of Technical Competence Center and Member of the Management Board; Chair of the Planning and Management in Construction for the Institute for Construction Engineering and Management at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Zurich) -- John Quale -- Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia's School of Architecture (Charlottesville, VA) -- Volker Hartkopf -- Professor of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, The Robert L. Preger Intelligent Workplace; Director at CBPD (Pittsburgh, PA)
About Masdar
Masdar is Abu Dhabi's multi-faceted, multi-billion dollar investment in the development and commercialization of advanced and innovative technologies in renewable, alternative and sustainable energies as well as green design. By applying scale and leveraging Abu Dhabi's low-cost, tax-free manufacturing base, businesses will enjoy significant competitive advantages, allowing them to compete internationally and provide significant diversification to the Abu Dhabi economy.
To learn more about Masdar, please visit www.masdaruae.com.
About Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
AS+GG is focused on the design of high-performance architecture on an international scale and is dedicated to the creation of new paradigms for sustainable development. The office utilizes a holistic, integrated design approach emphasizing a symbiotic relationship with the natural environment -- or 'global environmental contextualism.' The approach reduces negative environmental impact and, in some cases, virtually eliminates it. Sites of current projects include Chicago, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Mumbai, Vancouver, Belgrade, London and China.
To learn more about AS+GG, please visit www.smithgill.com
CONTACT: Masdar: Michael Iacovella, +1 212 704 8254, michael.iacovella@edelman.com AS+GG: Carrie Neill, +1 312 676 3004, carrieneill@smithgill.com For b-roll, renderings, fly-through animation or stills: http://www.thenewsmarket.com/masdar
Source: Masdar
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