BASF, the world's largest chemical company, has become the preferred supplier of building materials and systems solutions for the construction of Masdar City, the futuristic development that is to become the first carbon-neutral and waste-free city.

Masdar, the renewable energy company building the development, and BASF announced their collaboration in the construction project yesterday, saying they forged a strategic partnership.

Masdar City, an estimated $22 billion project now in construction, is envisioned as an ultra-modern, ultra-efficient community of 50,000 that is powered by renewable energy and is a model for sustainable living, innovation and research -- with no adverse impact on the environment.

Masdar City lies about 30 kilometers (about 19 miles) away from Abu Dhabi, the capital and largest city of the United Arab Emirates. The country has almost a tenth of the world's oil reserves and the worst environmental footprint per capita in the world, according to an index compiled by the World Wildlife Fund, the Zoological Society of London and the Global Footprint Network. (The U.S. has the second worst environmental footprint per capita.) The Masdar City project, scheduled for completion in 2016, is the centerpiece of efforts to diversify the country's economy and reduce its environmental footprint.

BASF's participation in the construction project draws on the company's development and marketing of building products that are designed to avoid greenhouse gas emissions and reduce use of energy and other resources.

The products include insulating foams for thermal insulation of buildings; phase-change materials that are integrated into plaster or gypsum wall boards as an alternative to air conditioning; black pigments in roof coatings, which absorb very little infrared solar radiation and prevent dark surfaces from heating up; and concrete admixtures for use in the concrete manufacturing process that can lower carbon emissions by as much as 60 percent.

BASF's work in the UAE includes development of a special concrete mix for the tower of Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building. BASF's concrete mix can be pumped to a height of 600 meters (1,969 feet) without segregating, yet can be worked for three hours and then hardens quickly. In constructing the skyscraper, builders set a record for vertical concrete pumping on a building at 452 meters (1,483 feet).

More infomation about Masdar City is available at the project's website. The renewable energy company Masdar is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Mubadala Development Company.

^{Image courtesy of Masdar City.}