Masdar Institute of Science and Technology – UAE An institutional building with research labs, housing complex and a beautiful library, Masdar’s architecture integrates the old with the new, not only in terms of style, but also in terms of comfort systems, merging passive strategies with cutting edge active systems, a 10-megawatt rooftop solar array, and a wind-tower to capture heated air. The building rests on a podium, elevated 2 levels above the ground, the two levels below the podium are for infrastructure services and pedestrian transportation. The podium level – the public realm – has breezy public courtyards, well-ventilated and daylit semi-private lobbies and air-conditioned private spaces, smoothly transitioning into one another, calling for a smart distribution and separation of passive and active systems. Masdar Institute stands strong on a system of concrete columns, shear walls and slabs. Infrastructure services are distributed through the ducts formed by shear walls and are circulated horizontally through deep ceilings. The envelope, very easy to assemble and disassemble, is made of concrete lattice panels (providing thermal mass) in the housing building and translucent ETFE plastic panels, which bring in plenty of daylight, in the lab building. This building complex subtly becomes a place of memory, teaching something new to anyone who visits.
Trisha Parekh ARCH 5220 Professor Laboy Image retrieved from Foster+Partners website: https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/masdar-institute/#gallery