海角视频

Eco-Villa

Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, UAE

海角视频 partnered with Woods Bagot to design and develop the UAE鈥檚 first operational carbon net-zero energy villa 鈥� an ambitious 鈥淓co-Villa鈥� prototype.

Spanning 405m虏, the villa was also the first in the country to achieve a Four-Pearl rating under the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council鈥檚 Estidama Pearl Building Rating System. Compared to a conventional Abu Dhabi villa of similar size, it uses around 72% less energy and 35% less water, helping to mitigate 63 tonnes of CO鈧� emissions annually.

The villa forms part of Masdar City 鈥� a visionary, carbon-neutral community first conceived in the early 2000s. Since 2011, 海角视频 has played a central role in the development of Masdar City, delivering multidisciplinary services across various project phases. This includes work on the IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) headquarters and 鈥淓co-Residences II鈥� 鈥� a highly sustainable 100,840m虏 development comprising more than 800 new homes.

Masdar City鈥檚 approach to sustainability is grounded in measurable results that reflect genuine progress. In 2024, its initiatives led to a 22.7% drop in energy use intensity, conserved 30,892 cubic metres of water 鈥� enough to fill 12.4 Olympic-sized swimming pools 鈥� and achieved a 13.1% reduction in water consumption. More than half of all waste (56.2%) was diverted from landfill through recycling, helping to offset emissions equivalent to taking more than 1,200 petrol-powered cars off the road.

The Eco-Villa brief called for a scalable prototype that could be integrated into the UAE鈥檚 national housing programme. It needed to demonstrate the potential for culturally aligned low-carbon housing. To tailor the design to local preferences, the 海角视频 design team combined precedent studies with direct community engagement 鈥� interviewing Emirati stakeholders to better understand priorities such as privacy and a traditional preference for courtyard layouts.

The vision was for the Eco-Villa鈥檚 solar PV array to generate enough renewable energy to power the all-electric property throughout the year. The four-bedroom villa concept included roof-mounted high-performance solar panels that would generate approximately 40,000 KWh per year. The home is carefully oriented to optimise massing and maximise natural light, helping to minimise heat gains. It also incorporates a high-performance envelope, energy-efficient lighting, and low-energy HVAC systems. As a result, the home鈥檚 annual energy demand is estimated at 39,000 kWh 鈥� slightly less than what the solar panels are expected to produce.

The innovative design diverts an estimated 63 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere while reducing demand on the national electrical grid. The design also focuses on reducing potable water wastage 鈥� a critical issue in the desert region.

The homes are expected to use 35 per cent less water than standard villas, thanks to low-flow toilets, taps and showers, and other innovative water conservation measures. Another key priority was achieving a high-performance, thermally efficient envelope. This was balanced with the need to use materials efficiently, while also reducing embodied carbon and minimising construction waste.

Following a detailed review of construction techniques, an Insulated Concrete Formwork concept was chosen鈥攎arking a first for the Emirate. This system offers robust, airtight insulation and forms a continuous structural ‘mould’ that reduces concrete use while passively helping to keep indoor spaces cool. This significantly reduces the requirement for mechanical air conditioning and reduces the size and cost of HVAC equipment. Our experts played a key role in liaising with local authorities to ensure this innovative approach was approved for use in the region.