The Refinishing Touch Blog

Yesterday’s conclusion of the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi brought global attention to the United Arab Emirates as one of the epicenters of innovation in sustainable building. Just 18 miles outside the city of Abu Dhabi lies the future home of Masdar City, which aims to be the world’s first carbon-neutral and zero-waste city.

Masdar City’s construction, projected for completion in 2016, will use a number of innovative new building materials. BASF, a chemical company that works to produce more environmentally friendly chemical products, will provide insulation materials, pigments for reducing surface heat, and low-emission concretes that will all be used to make Masdar City a model for sustainable building.

Although the BASF’s new special concrete, which will be used throughout construction, reduces carbon dioxide emissions during production by 60 percent, low emissions will not come at the expense of quality. New plasticizers preserve concrete quality during transports, make processing easier, and yield strong, durable finished products.

As a key presenter at the summit, BASF has taken a leading role in showcasing not only its own green technologies, but the development of Masdar City as well. Dr. Tilman Krauch, head of BASF’s Construction Chemicals division stated, “We provide our customers in the construction industry with highly efficient concepts, economically and ecologically.”

In Masdar City, they’re doing just that: creating more than construction materials, they are building an entire sustainable metropolis.