PHOTOS: A First Look Inside Masdar: Foster + Partner’s Carbon-Neutral Eco City

Foster and Partner's carbon-neutral <a href="http://inhabitat.com/foster-partners-inaugurate-solar-powered-masdar-institute/">Masdar City</a> is springing to life in Abu Dhabi, and we recently had a chance to take a first-hand look inside this ambitious sustainable development! Just last Friday we checked out the city's first eco street fair and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/listing/fresh-start-organic-market-and-eatery/">Organic Market</a> -- a family affair complete with cotton candy, clowns, and princess fairies that also gave locals and visitors their first glimpse of some of the world’s most advanced architectural and cleantech developments. It also gave eco-businesses and organizations, such as the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/the-land-art-generator-initiative-combines-art-with-energy-creation/">Land Art Generator Initiative</a>, an opportunity to strut their good green stuff - read on for a first look!

For the first time, visitors were able to experience firsthand Masdar's enigmatic green buildings.

The Market @ Masdar kicked off at 10am on Friday. After parking their lowly fossil-fueled vehicles in the entrance parking lot, visitors rode driverless pod cars through a rather dull (but prefabricated and low impact concrete lot) to what will be the center of a more complete, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/masdar-personal-rapid-transit-system/">future Masdar City</a>.

The red undulating facade is modeled after traditional Arab architecture.

Several small-scale alternative energy projects have been realized, including these solar roof panels.

The narrow walkways are shaded, keeping it cool in the desert just outside of Abu Dhabi.

Masdar organizers showed off several clean technologies, including this solar dish that generates mechanical energy.

Misters keep kids cool!

Kids levitate balloons on the misters.

Masdar has experimented with a series of interesting facades that prevent solar gain.

Made with glass reinforced concrete and recycled aluminum, the learning center is especially "futuristic."

The inside of the water tower.

A sneak peak at the various sun-deflecting facades before the hordes flocked in.

Despite what became a hot day, the walkways really were cool.

This solar dish is boiling a cup of coffee!

The driverless pod car is propelled by electricity.

A long line of people queue to ride a pod car back to their own fossil-fueled vehicles.

The beginning of the large solar field that will provide much of Masdar City's electricity.

These goats were standing under the hot sun, until a German photographer told Mazaraa farm to put them in the shade.

The organic market at Masdar was packed.