Masdar City's new mosque places emphasis on sustainability

Estidama Mosque will use 50 per cent less energy than a traditional building and conserve almost half of its water

The Estidama Mosque in Masdar City can accommodate 335 worshippers. Wam

Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s sustainability and innovation hub, has inaugurated a new mosque with a focus on sustainability.

The 500-square-metre domed Estidama Mosque is in Masdar Park and can accommodate 335 worshippers.

Designed in collaboration with X-Architects, the mosque has been built using techniques intended to minimise the need for energy-intensive cooling.

Traditional Arabic screens maximise natural light while reducing heat generated by direct sunlight, pathways to the building are shaded by trees and intelligent sensors manage lighting and ventilation. These features will reduce the need for cooling.

The mosque will use more than 50 per cent less energy than a traditional mosque building and conserve about 48 per cent of its water, state news agency Wam reported.

Masdar City will soon also have a net-zero energy mosque with a capacity for 1,300 worshippers.

“Estidama Mosque is a powerful symbol of our commitment to our community, our faith, and responsible stewardship of the earth,” said Mohamed Al Breiki, Masdar City's executive director of sustainable development.

“We see this as so much more than a house of worship – it's a community gathering place in the heart of our city where worshippers can look forward to a journey that is both environmentally conscious and spiritually profound.”

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