Return to the Source:
New Energy Landscapes from the Land Art Generator Initiative
The journey to build Masdar City has been one of understanding the relationship between the three pillars of environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Our experience has shown that rather than one pillar being improved at the expense of the others, all three can be improved simultaneously.
—Chris Wan, Head of Design Management, Sustainable Real Estate, Masdar
We’re delighted to announce the release of Return to the Source: New Energy Landscapes from the Land Art Generator Initiative.
Thirty years after awareness of the climate crisis shifted from the pages of academic journals to the content of political speeches, we stand today at the threshold of an uncharted world. Thirty years from now, at the middle of the 21st century, we will be leading lives that are almost unrecognizable to us today. We will have transitioned to sustainable post-carbon systems of economy, culture, leisure, and art.
To see what our cities will look like as renewable energy technologies find their way into nearly every aspect of our lives, you need search no further than the pages of this book. You will discover that a post-carbon future is one of wonder, fascination, and human happiness. Our sustainable cities are replete with places of beauty, designed to give clean energy to the city while offering playful and profound experiences, enhancing our lives, and educating future generations.
Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, provides the perfect canvas on which to imagine what is possible for a world powered by the sun and the wind—where water is pulled from the air of a desert environment—where the hottest summer days become pleasant through the smart design of natural systems and sustainable materials.
Return to the Source illustrates the possibilities of living well in a post-carbon future, with detailed renderings and diagrams of more than seventy unique design proposals for the same site in Masdar City. Writings on art in public space, sustainable development, and human culture demonstrate the beauty and splendor of a world free from carbon.
This gorgeous 240 page hardcover book is published by Prestel and designed by Schifino Design. Get your copy directly through the publisher or at your favorite local bookseller.
72 entries to LAGI 2019 are featured along with renderings, diagrams, and technical descriptions following thoughtful essays on energy and the design of cities by Chris Wan (Masdar), Lukas Sokol (Masdar), Naz Shahrokh (Zayed University), Clark Miller and Andrew Dana Hudson (Arizona State University), and Robert Ferry and Elizabeth Monoian (LAGI).
The book begins with a Foreword by Yousef Baselaib Executive Director, Sustainable Real Estate, Masdar.
The competition entries demonstrate how Masdar City can further transform the places where people live, work, and play, energize public spaces and create new places of interaction with the city’s residents, tenants, and visitors, in alignment with the city’s master plan.
—Yousef Baselaib, Executive Director of Sustainable Real Estate, Masdar
In order for cities to be competitive today, they must cater to the higher order needs of the human capital they aim to attract. People demand more than comfort and aesthetics. They seek meaning, authenticity, and inspiration—ultimately making them more productive, creative, and innovative.
—Lukas Sokol, Head of City Design, Sustainable Planning, and Approvals, Sustainable Real Estate, Masdar
Editors
Robert Ferry, Elizabeth Monoian
Essays by
Chris Wan
Lukas Sokol
Clark Miller
Naz Shahrokh
Andrew Dana Hudson
Robert Ferry
Elizabeth Monoian
Designed by
Schifino Design
Foreword by
Yousef Baselaib
Executive Director, Sustainable Real Estate, Masdar
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Prestel, 2020
Language: English
ISBN-10: 379135938X
ISBN-13: 978-3791359380
