The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) is the centerpiece of a landmark program called the Masdar Initiative, announced by the government of Abu Dhabi. The Initiative will establish an economic sector dedicated to alternative and sustainable energy. This highly-strategic program has many primary objectives: drive the economic diversification; maintain and expand Abu Dhabi’s position in evolving global energy markets; position Abu Dhabi as a developer of technology; and make a meaningful contribution towards sustainable human development.<

The Masdar Institute is a private, not-for-profit, independent, research-driven institute developed with the support of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Masdar Institute offers its students the choice of five Masters Programs in science, engineering and information technology. Eventually PhD programs in science and engineering, with a focus on advanced energy and sustainable technologies will be offered.

Foster and Partners are the London based project designers. Parsons Brinckerhoff, the project engineers, hired Acentech to design the audiovisual systems for the MIST campus, which is being built in four phases. The first phase is scheduled to open in the fall of 2009. The AV designs call for teaching and meeting facilities with state-of-the-art systems, including high-definition video conferencing for worldwide connectivity. The first two phases of the project will include classrooms and meeting rooms with interactive presentation systems, digital signage systems, an Energy Visualization Lab with 3-dimensional presentation capability, and a sports center with a gymnasium that converts to a large auditorium with tiered seating.

Acentech is also consulting on a 60-foot video wall that will feature the exciting work of the Institute visible to anyone who enters the MIST campus via the Personal Rapid Transit system.