Masdar City is a new ecologically-oriented urban develop-ment situated 30 kilometres east of Abu Dhabi. “At the beginning, there was the conviction that responsible deal-ing with our environment necessitates to give up nuclear energy sources, to cut down the utilization of fossil fuels and to increase the use of solar energy and other regen-erative energies.”

Masdar City aspires to be completely supplied by renew-able energies and to act as example for ecology aware construction. This planning approach is based on subjects that have become more and more important in recent years, such as energy costs and energy savings, accom-panying the development of our society. “The more a society develops, the more its needs become challenging, also those to be fulfilled in buildings.” Urban planners, architects, scientists and engineers from all over the world

participate at the unique project Masdar City to transform this city into the archetype of most modern, environmen-tally aware and sustainable urbanisation in the United Arab Emirates.

Already in February 2008, construction of the ecological city started. Completion has recently been predicted for 2025. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will open its headquarters there.

By consistent recycling and zero CO2 emissions, Masdar

City will be nearly waste-free and supplied entirely by re-newable energies. For example, fresh air corridors and parks will traverse the building area, decreasing the am-bient temperature of the buildings significantly compared to the city of Abu Dhabi. Masdar City will be appraised as the prototype of a sustainable, future-oriented city.

Press releaseMunich, May 10th, 2011

Prof. Matthias SchulerMasdar City: Transsolar KlimaEngineering

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Transsolar has been mandated to establish the development plan for climate engineering, identifying the necessary potential energy savings and to develop directions to create an energy-autarkic and state-of-the-art city.

To achieve highest possible user comfort with lowest pos-sible impact on the environment is an essential aim of the city‘s design. Therefore, innovative climate and energy concepts have been developed to create a CO

2-neutral city.

Prof. Matthias Schuler has co-founded in 1992 the Trans-solar Energietechnik GmbH and is manager of the world‘s leading company for climate engineering in Stuttgart. His many articles in international trade magazines, such as Architecture, Aujourd‘hui, xia-Intelligente Architektur, DETAIL and Harvard Design Magazine are highly recognized publi-cations in the field of sustainable building and give an insight in the bases of his work. After teaching at the Institute for Architecture and Design of the University of Stuttgart and his cooperation with the Solar Energy Lab of the University of Wisconsin, he has been appointed as professor to Harvard University Graduate School of Design where he teaches since 2001.

Today, Transsolar has offices in Stuttgart, Munich and New York and has realised more than 500 projects. Matthias Schuler is one of the most renowned designers in the area of innovative, resource-friendly building, working together with well-known architects from all over the world such as Foster + Partners, Jean Nouvel, SANAA, Murphy/Jahn and Renzo Piano.

The Oskar von Miller Forum is an independent educational initiative supported by the Bayerische Bauwirtschaft (association of construction workers‘ union and of the Bavarian construction industry). The Forum – in the heart of Munich and in close proximity of the Technical University Munich – is an international guest house for students, “masters” of the construction industry and guest scientists. The Forum is dedicated to promote higher education of civil engineers and contributes to the pursuit of excellence, striving for traditional qualification open to new development.

SpeechMay 12th, 2011Start 6.00 pm, Oskar von Miller Forum

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