Autodesk Gallery: Masdar Headquarters Exhibit

Here I am next to the exhibit.

Senior Manager, Customer Briefing Program, Jason Medal-Katz, let all of us gallery ambassadors know that we added a new exhibit to our Gallery at One Market. Jason has billed this one as "The Holy Grail of green building." Even the Knights who say Ni would be proud of this one.

The people:

• Masdar, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company // more
• Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture // more
• Thornton Tomasetti // more
• Environmental Systems Design // more

The Autodesk software involved:

• Autodesk Revit Architecture // more
• Autodesk Revit MEP// more
• Autodesk Revit Structure // more
• Autodesk 3ds Max // more
• Autodesk Ecotect Analysis // more
• Autodesk Navisworks Manage // more

Located near the city of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, the Masdar Headquarters will be the world’s first positive-energy building, actually producing more energy than it consumes. The building is part of the much larger Masdar City project, a zero-waste, zero-carbon-emission development designed to showcase advanced energy and waste-efficiency technologies. Using Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology, team members were able to integrate architectural, structural, and building systems from the project outset. This increased the efficiency and constructability of the 21st-century sustainable design systems and allowed for reviewing strategies in place, such as real-time tracking of the project’s total carbon content.

When complete, the Masdar Headquarters will consume 70% less water than comparable buildings. It will also incorporate numerous ecofriendly components, including a 7-acre roof canopy that will serve as an armature for one of the world’s largest photovoltaic panel arrays, and a collection of 11 cones that will promote natural ventilation and cooling. The photovoltaic panels will be put in place first, and energy from these arrays will actually be used to construct the building itself.

Using a BIM process, the design team quickly created multiple design scenarios to see their implications. Through wind flow studies, the team discovered that the optimal flow could be best achieved by creating diagonal openings at the cone bases. The 11 large cones will also provide daylighting for the building and form oasis-like interior courtyards.

The exhibit features a laser-cut acrylic and 3D printed ABS plastic model. Scale: 1/8" = 1'.

Thanks Jason. We are happy to have this addition to our gallery. The gallery is open to the public on Wednesdays from 12 pm to 5 pm, and admission is free. Visit us.

Celebrating green-ness is alive in the lab.