dcarbon8 wins Masdar zero carbon contract

Original Article

UAE. dcarbon8 has won the commission to carry out carbon management and measurement for the new Masdar City development in Abu Dhabi, the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city, ahead of world class consultants.

In order to provide the most accurate measurement of the carbon footprint of the city, dcarbon8 is measuring the operational carbon of the Masdar organisation and all the relevant carbon emitted by third party consultants and contractors associated with its design and construction. This involves defining the third party business carbon footprint boundaries for the specific activities of all organisations (such as architects, master planners, consultants, contractors) directly contracted by the Masdar organisation as a part of the Masdar City development.

In addition, dcarbon8 was specifically engaged in the project for its expertise to provide a strategy for measuring the embodied carbon of the development. dcarbon8 will create a bespoke embodied carbon database of all the materials used to construct Masdar City. This includes evaluating the robustness of data sources and defining the operational data required from all material suppliers at the tender stage.

Andrew Marris, co-founder and CEO of dcarbon8, said: “We are very excited about the opportunity to work on such an exciting and ground-breaking development. Masdar will become a benchmark for other cities to follow and a legacy for future generations. It is the world’s first city to be designed to be sustainable from ground up. Masdar took action on the largest conceivable scale and shows true leadership in rising to the challenge of climate change.”

dcarbon8 is helping the Masdar organisation develop an online carbon monitor. This ‘carbon dashboard’ provides a “one stop shop” for architects, engineers and sustainability consultants to access carbon data, either for very quick decisions or for full reports on the component of material they are researching. It includes a colour coded system for specifying sustainable materials for the city. dcarbon8 is responsible for producing the data interface for the dashboard.

dcarbon8 is one of the world's leading consultancies in sustainability, carbon measurement and reduction and supply chain management. Specialising in the built environment, dcarbon8 works with companies around the world such as Bovis Lend Lease, ProLogis, Development Securities, Haworth and Sainsbury’s.

The Masdar Initiative was established to promote renewable energy solutions through investment, education, R&D, and establishment of a model for future energy production within a globally sustainable framework.

By forging links with leaders in sustainable industries and educational institutions, Masdar City will be a future hub of excellence for research into sustainable development and collaboration with industry, as well as for the development, manufacturing, and production of associated technologies.

The first step in the city’s seven-phase plan is the development of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), the world’s first graduate university dedicated to renewable energy, developed in collaboration with MIT and scheduled to open in 2009.

The six-square kilometre district is designed by renowned architecture firm Foster + Partners and set to be completed in 2016 in conjunction with Abu Dhabi’s 2030 Development Plan. It will eventually grow to 1,500 businesses and 50,000 residents and will be home to international business and top minds in the field of sustainable and alternative energy.

Note: dcarbon8 is a London-based consultancy specialising in carbon footprint measurement and reduction and in corporate sustainability. Working with companies around the world, dcarbon8 has helped establish new levels of best practice, particularly in the carbon measurement of new and existing buildings. dcarbon8 works with developers, architects and their clients to measure and reduce embodied carbon in property developments, including engaging the entire supply chain to cut the carbon emissions.

dcarbon8 has launched a new environmental mark of achievement called Planet Positive. Backed by a robust protocol, Planet Positive signifies that companies are engaged in a continuous process of measuring and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and offsetting their remaining footprint beyond neutral. Planet Positive is being adopted by companies looking to make a real impact in reducing their carbon emissions by measuring, reducing and finally, as a last resort, offsetting the remaining footprint by at least 110%.

dcarbon8 has developed a Supply Chain Network bringing Planet Positive companies together to create green supply chains. Uniquely, the dcarbon8 Supply Chain Network enables manufacturing companies to transfer carbon through their supply chain and gift carbon credits to end-users as an incentive for environmental product selection.

www.dcarbon8.com