“The Oasis at Masdar demonstrates to the world that it is possible to create a future in which we can all live in harmony with the earth.”
For centuries, the image of an oasis has inspired the imagination of writers, poets, and travelers; A haven with a cool, lush, and bountiful climate appearing in an otherwise inhospitable environment gave people hope and a sense of possibility, and it inspired travelers to embark on their long, difficult journeys.
As 21st century travelers, we face the challenge of a similar journey, with the ever-present realities of climate change and an unforeseeable future. In the footsteps of our traveling forebears, we seek new possibilities to ensure our longevity and security.
The Design
The Oasis seeks to inspire the world and those who step into it about the beauty and power of renewable energy and new technologies, showcasing the complete transformation and creation of natural public spaces.
Just like how the natural oasis was shaped by the interplay of the sun, land and water, transforming a hot and dry landscape into a cool, shaded and luscious haven, so is The Oasis a product of the environment that it is in.
Instead of fighting the solar heat, extreme temperatures and the fast winds, it uses those very elements to create the soothing, temperate and green environment inside of it. The idea of such man-made haven’s is not new, as remnants of it remain all across the middle east, but the technology and longevity of this seemingly magical creation is.
Within The Oasis, human experience is the central focus. The vast park features an elevated walkway, an undulating landscape marked by lush greenery and trees, as well as a central pond. Here we celebrate tomorrow and what the marriage of design, science, and culture can create.
The Technology
The Oasis requires three basic resources: water, electricity, and refrigeration. Sourcing any of these three would prove challenging if we were to follow conventional technologies.
Purification of water and refrigeration both demand immense electricity and water resources, while electricity production demands water for cooling. To address these challenges, The Oasis turns to the most abundant resources in Masdar: wind and sunlight.
A very specific orchestration of existing technologies was required to create a self sustaining Oasis at the heart of Masdar city.
One that not only fulfills its own needs but also produces a considerable excess in pure drinking water as well as electricity to feed the Masdar grid.
HARVESTING THE SUNLIGHT : HEAT AND ELECTRICITY
The key is the utilization of solar panels that have a dual function: absorbing sunlight for creating electricity while absorbing residual heat -that would otherwise be wasted- to produce hot water. This hot water byproduct powers an absorption chiller, which produces the other key ingredients for The Oasis: cold air and condensation.
HARVESTING THE WIND : REFRIGERATION AND HUMIDITY
The absorption chiller is the beating heart of the Oasis for creating cold air. For its function, the chiller needs the constant flow of two things: hot water and wind, to create two by-products: refrigeration and pure water. As mentioned above, the hot water is readily available as a by-product of our solar panel cooling system.
Meanwhile, the shape of the structure is designed to collect the prevailing winds of this specific geography, which carry moisture across the absorption chiller pipes, yielding a constant condensation process. The result is 8,288 liters of pure water per hour, Some of which is designed to fall magically like rain inside the structure.
Technology: combined photovoltaic and solar thermal energy modules, absorption chiller
Annual Capacity: 7,200 MWh and 18 million liters of freshwater.
A submission to the 2019 Land Art Generator design competition for Abu Dhabi
The Experience
The experience challenges visitors’ assumptions about how we consider energy and resource generation and consumption. It demonstrates how a slice of urban land can be turned into a lush and temperate natural space using the infinite energy available to us by the sun and the wind.
The Oasis at Masdar is a marvel to behold—not only because of its deep and lush forest in the heart of a modern city, nor because the structure produces electricity and water for the city’s inhabitants. It is a marvel because of the hope it provides, showing the world that it is possible to create a future in which we can all live in harmony with the earth.
Essentials
Nameplate capacity: 13,484 kWp
Annual Energy Generated: 7,200,000 kWh
Lithium Battery Power Reservoir: 50 Megawatt
Annual Water Produced: 18,000,000 Liters
Order-of-Magnitude conceptual cost estimate: $55 Million Estimated
Cost per watt installed: $4
Dimensions: 65m wide end (38 narrow end) x 258m x 44m (W * L * H)
Technology used in design: Naked Energy VirtuPVT Solar Panels, Ebara Hotwater Absorption Chillers
Primary materials used in design: Low-Carbon Concrete, Rammed Earth, Stainless steel, Wood and other organic matters.
Further Info:
Pure Water Reservoir - Stainless Steel Tanks: 1,000,000 L
Hot Water Reservoir - Stainless Steel Isolated Tanks: 500,000 L Chilled Water Reservoir - Stainless Steel Tanks: 500,000 L AC/DC Inverter: 10 mWh
LED Lighting: 50,000 m2
Climate Control: Fully controlled atmosphere
July 2019
“THE SUN MAKES RAIN OVER A NEW OASIS FOR MASDAR CITY”
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