For Immediate Release: May 1, 2008
Media Contact: Marketing and Communication Department
For the Greener Good Media Advisory: Abu Dhabi - City of the Future?: Media Advisory
WHO
A discussion with:
Khaled Awad, Project Development Director, Masdar, Abu Dhabi
Robert Fishman, Professor of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan
Robert Ivy, FAIA, Editor in Chief, Architectural Record (moderator)
Michael White, Senior Planning Manager, Abu Dhabi's Urban Planning Council
WHAT
What can the United States learn from a carbon-neutral city being built in the Arabian Desert?
In their 2030 plan for Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, city planners are positioning it as a cultural crossroads between east and west, and seeking to set a new benchmark in environmentally sustainable and culturally sensitive design in the region.
As part of Masdar, a government sponsored $15 billion future energy initiative, Abu Dhabi is building Masdar City, the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste city. It will be a model for sustainable planning and development on a community scale. Plans will incorporate a wide range of green technologies and principles.
Brasilia, Brazil and Canberra, Australia, both created to serve a cultural vision, will be featured in the discussion as historical examples of other planning cities.
WHERE
National Building Museum
401 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20001 (Judiciary Square Metro, Red Line)
WHEN
Monday, February 11, 2008
6:30 – 8:00 pm (A public reception hosted by The United Arab Emirates Embassy to the United States follows the program.)
$12 Museum members; $20 public; Free for students with valid ID. Prepaid registration required. Walk-in registration based on availability.
For the Greener Good lecture series is presented by The Home Depot Foundation.
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
