Masdar’s Special Free Zone (SFZ) is a unique, integrated 'Green Community’ in the heart of Abu Dhabi.

This new energy and technology Community will open in 2009, covering six square kilometers and offering the finest practical facilities for the Masdar Institute, the Research Network, light industry, development units and laboratories, plus a carefully selected pool of international tenants.

The Zone is an inspirational expression of Masdar’s vision, hosting an iconic campus leveraging the fullest use of innovation in energy-efficiency, sustainable practices, resource recycling, biodiversity, transportation and green building standards. Every building in the Zone will be designed and constructed to provide a model for sustainable living and working.

The Masdar SFZ will offer opportunities unique in the Middle East for synergy between academic resources, research facilities, industry, the financial community, entrepreneurs and family businesses. The Zone will provide up to 1,500 companies with an attractive package of incentives, including a one-stop-shop program of government services, transparent laws, 100% foreign ownership, tax-free environment and intellectual property protection. Proximity to nearby manufacturers, suppliers and markets rounds out the Zone’s unique value proposition.

As the Zone is developed, Masdar intends to leverage elsewhere the knowledge gained in developing the SFZ with a minimum carbon footprint, by building other sustainable communities that can also serve as showcases of environmental urban achievement.

via masdaruae : further reading at architecture.mnp