Masdar Institute of Science and Technology
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Client: Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company
Parsons Brinckerhoff Role: Project Management
Parsons Brinckerhoff provided project management services for the fast-track design and construction of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), one of the first facilities to be built in Masdar City, the world’s first carbon-neutral, zero-waste city.
The building housing MIST, a university and research institute affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, opened in the fall of 2010, with nearly 100 students. MIST includes research labs, classrooms, lecture halls, sports facilities, a mosque and other amenities. MIST’s stated goal is “to become a world-class research-driven institution at the graduate level focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies.”
Parsons Brinckerhoff provided a broad range of services for MIST, including project management, design management and construction management. As part of its services, the firm provided environmental and sustainability management, including guidance on implementing MIST’s Construction Environment Management Plan and Sustainability Specifications. Parsons Brinckerhoff also assisted MIST in estimating the carbon emissions that needed to be offset to meet the carbon-neutral goal of the larger Masdar City development.
MIST is part of the first phase of Masdar City, a planned city initiated in 2006 by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company. Masdar City is intended to rely entirely on solar energy and other renewable energy sources in order to achieve a carbon-neutral and waste-free environment.