Masdar partners with Al Falah Ready Mix to develope low-carbon concrete for Masdar City

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 27 April 2009 – Masdar City, the property development arm of the Masdar Initiative, announced today that it has entered into a unique partnership with Al Falah Ready Mix, a subsidiary of Al Falah Holding, to develop low carbon concrete to supply the two million cubic meters of concrete required to build the initial phases of Masdar City.

 

Masdar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala), is a multifaceted initiative that includes the development of Masdar City, the world's first carbon neutral, zero-waste city fully powered by renewable energy.

 

With concrete being a core material used in the construction of Masdar City, the development of low embodied carbon concrete is essential to ensure the City achieves its ambitious sustainability targets. Cement is one of the main ingredients in concrete, and is the second most consumed commodity in the world after water. Cement production is responsible for around five per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions according to the World Business Council of Sustainable Developments.

 

Al Falah Ready Mix will work with Masdar to reduce the amount of cement used in the specially designed concrete mixes, and therefore reduce the embodied carbon by more than 30% while meeting all the durability criteria set by Masdar City. A special scheme will be put in place to offset the remaining carbon embodied in the concrete used to build Masdar City.

 

“This partnership is an excellent example of how Masdar City is working with local companies to drive innovation in Abu Dhabi’s sustainable development sector,” said Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Masdar CEO. “With Al Falah, we are creating a new product that will set a benchmark for sustainability globally. This is an exciting partnership for Masdar City and Abu Dhabi, and we hope to see this standard of sustainability adopted throughout the region and around the world.”

 

The Al Falah Ready Mix partnership also includes a comprehensive research and development program to develop global standards for low CO2 concrete. This will encompass research and testing at Masdar City site as well as a research partnership with the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology for the advancement of sustainable concrete technologies.

 

Al Falah Ready Mix was chosen on the basis of its adoption of rigorous sustainability criteria for designing, producing, transporting and placing concrete. This expertise is integral in meeting the challenging requirements for producing concrete with the lowest possible carbon footprint in a project of this scale.

“It gives us great pride to be associated with the Masdar Initiative and Masdar City; the most ambitious sustainable development in the world today,” said Zayed Falah Bin Jarra, Chairman of Al Falah Ready Mix. “This is a pioneering partnership in many aspects – from the scale of the project, to the technologies we will be utilizing to achieve Masdar’s high sustainability targets. Low carbon concrete is a relatively new concept in the construction industry, and it is vital that we continue to explore and invest in new technologies that will help minimize the industry’s impact on the environment.”

Construction of Masdar City officially commenced with a formal ground-breaking ceremony on February 9, 2008. The City will be constructed over six phases and is due to be completed by 2016.

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ABOUT MASDAR

Masdar is Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted initiative advancing the development, commercialisation and deployment of renewable and alternative energy technologies and solutions. Masdar is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala); the Abu Dhabi government’s investment vehicle.

 

For more information about the Masdar Initiative, please visit www.masdar.ae

 

ABOUT AL FALAH READY MIX

Al Falah Ready Mix, a subsidiary of Al Falah Holding, is a local market leading ready mix concrete producer based in Abu Dhabi. The company is highly equipped with the latest technologies and machineries in the Ready Mix Concrete Industry operating in the Emirate Abu Dhabi as well as the other Emirates.

The company’s profile, quality management system and remarkable technical achievements have lead to the award of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the UAE, for Industrial Excellence.

Al Falah Ready Mix adopts an integrated Management System for Quality, Environment, Occupational Health & Safety that is accredited and certified according to ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007.

 

For more information about Al Falah Ready Mix, please visit www.alfalahreadymix.com

 

Press Contacts:

 

Masdar

Kirstin McKellar

T: +971 50 4415 988

E: kirstin.mckellar@edelman.com

 

Elizabeth Lockett

T: +971 50 441 6265

E: elizabeth.lockett@edelman.com