Native plant species, sourced from local nurseries, link Masdar Institute to its immediate environment, as well as providing practical benefits, which include reducing air temperature in public spaces. The strategically located water features provide indirect cooling and create a relaxing environment.

The Masdar Institute Campus consists of a series of courtyard and street spaces, each with a distinct theme derived from characteristics of the regional landscape.

A dramatic main courtyard - ‘the Oasis’ - provides the campus with a flexible space suitable for individuals, small groups or large gatherings, with numerous seating areas surrounded by lush planting and gently bubbling water features beneath the iconic wind-tower .

Key landscape design elements at the Campus include:

• Reduced air temperature in public spaces through use of shading by buildings and planting.
• An attractive, high-quality, accessible environment for all users.
• A series of distinct visual character areas to aid wayfinding within the City.
• Extensive planting to bring color, visual and sensory delight into the heart of the City.
• An irrigation key performance indicator (KPI) of 6 litres per m2 per day (as an annual average).
• Reduced irrigation requirement fed by recycled water (treated sewerage effluent).
• Native species sourced from local nurseries to reduce environmental impact and directly link Masdar Institute to its immediate context.
• A planting scheme developed to provide year-round visual interest, with flowering grasses, shrubs and trees offering bursts of reds and yellows in contrast to the green oasis.
• Strategically located water features used to provide indirect cooling and create a relaxing environment.