Conference article

The methodology used in this paper consists in studying how the 5 environmental categories of the LEED New Constructions and Major Renovation plus the 3 categories of the LEED Neighbourhood Development apply to the architectural and urban design strategies of two projects: Masdar City and “Forwarding Dallas”. We chose two very different but at the same time similar projects which claim to be environmentally conscious. On one end; there is the self-intituled “world’s first carbon-neutral city”; Masdar; designed by Foster + Partners and one of the largest and most ambitious developments of its kind. On the opposite end; and in a significantly smaller scale; there is the “Re-Vision Dallas” competition winner project; “Forwarding Dallas”; designed by a collaboration of two Portuguese architecture practices: DATA + MOOV. This competition promoted the idea of transforming a vacant inner-city block in Dallas into a carbon-neutral neighbourhood; creating; for that purpose; a prototype for an innovative; sustainable urban community.

This paper strives to highlight; through the comparative analysis of these two projects; how the desire to meet high standards of sustainability not only affects the practice of architecture and urban design; but might also generate a particular architectural language with identifiable physical characteristics.

Carbon-Neutral; Masdar City; Forwarding Dallas; LEED; Renewable Energy