World’s first air-powered shading system ready to scale at Masdar City

World’s first air-powered shading system ready to scale at Masdar City

Airshade, the world’s first air-powered shading system, has concluded its first round of testing at Masdar City, an Abu Dhabi, UAE-based sustainable urban community known for incubating innovative climate-change solutions. 
The Airshade prototype, first envisioned by a Netherlands-based startup called Airshade Technologies, has been undergoing testing at Masdar City’s solar plant testing site for the last eight months. Its design is inspired by the leaves on a tree: Just as the leaves on a tree move with the sun to cast shade, Airshade, using award-winning technology, uses pressure caused by changing air temperatures to open and close throughout the day. The system is fully nature-based and operates without the use of sensors, motors, or electricity. 
“Airshade began with a simple conversation at the World Future Energy Summit,” said Chris Wan, Masdar City’s associate director of sustainability and CSR. “That conversation grew into an idea for a collaboration. That idea turned into a prototype that we tested at Masdar City, and now we’re looking at potential applications for a first-of-its kind shading system that requires no power, no motor, and no cabling. This is a common story at Masdar City, where we work with dozens of start-ups on innovative climate change solutions. Small