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World’s first net-zero mosque to break ground in Abu Dhabi

UAE – Masdar City in Abu Dhabi will be home to the world’s first net-zero energy mosque, blending sustainable design with cultural heritage. It will be developed by Aldar and designed by Arup, and the 1,595-square-metre building will accommodate more than 1,300 worshippers while generating 100% of its annual energy needs.

The design draws from traditional UAE earth mosques, using rammed earth walls to cool and stabilise internal temperatures. ‘Formed from local materials, the walls cool air and regulate internal temperatures by leveraging thermal mass,’ Arup notes. The structure will integrate passive airflow and a roof with tiered windows to harness prevailing breezes, cutting energy use by 35% compared to typical benchmarks.

Aiming for LEED Zero Carbon certification standards, the project includes solar panels, grey water recycling and sustainable materials such as low-emission concrete and energy-efficient lighting. In a regional first, hydrogen-based steel rebar, provided by Emsteel, will reduce structural emissions by up to 95%.

The Masdar City Mosque offers a glimpse into the future of architecture, where sustainable innovation is seamlessly integrated with cultural heritage. Explore our Future Spaces topic to discover how these principles are reshaping the built environment.

Strategic opportunity

As net-zero civic landmarks such as Masdar City Mosque set new benchmarks for urban design, brands should explore partnerships that fuse sustainability with cultural storytelling, embedding sustainable products, materials or services into future-facing public spaces

Brooklyn Film Festival rebrands cinema as good screen time

US – In response to growing digital fatigue, the Brooklyn Film Festival, which concluded on 8 June 2025, unveiled a new visual identity that reframes cinema as Good Screen Time.

Developed by creative studio Otherway, the rebrand borrows visual codes from social media – bold typography, saturated colours, rapid motion – but flips their purpose. Instead of fuelling distraction, the design language is used to encourage focus, presence and shared cultural experience.

The campaign reframes screens not as sources of distraction, but as portals for intentional storytelling. Titled Welcome to Good Screen Time, the launch identity encapsulates what executive director Marco Ursino calls ‘purposeful, powerful cinema that demands your full attention’. It’s a sharp inversion designed to resonate with digital natives – particularly younger audiences – who are increasingly reassessing their relationship with devices and dopamine-led platforms.

Complementing the visual elements, sound design by Klong introduces a glitchy, attention-grabbing sonic layer, enhancing the multisensory experience and reinforcing the campaign's message.

This rebrand offers a new blueprint for cultural institutions: using design to advocate for slower, more mindful screen use, without rejecting the digital world altogether. It joins a growing movement towards rethinking digital wellness through creative and cultural interventions.

Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), US

Strategic opportunity

As digital fatigue reshapes cultural habits, there’s growing value in reframing screen time as purposeful and communal. Brands, festivals and media platforms can follow Brooklyn Film Festival’s lead by using design and storytelling to position digital engagement as mindful, meaningful and emotionally rewarding

Stat: Gen Z fuels surge of functional drink sales

Photography by Cottonbro Studio

UK – The UK’s functional drinks market is booming, with Ocado Retail reporting a 54% year-on-year sales increase as Gen Z moves away from coffee and alcohol in favour of health-boosting alternatives.

Two in five UK adults now buy functional drinks several times a month, rising to 61% among Gen Z. Sales of kombucha and kefir are up 22% and 30% respectively, while searches on Ocado.com for mushroom coffee have soared by 1,552%.

As we explored in our Functional Feasting report, younger consumers are leading this change, with 49% of Gen Z replacing alcohol or soft drinks with functional options and 39% swapping their morning coffee for matcha or mushroom-based blends.

Ocado has responded by expanding its functional drinks range by 11%, spotlighting indie brands such as Mission and Hip Pop. Explore more shifts in this space in our Futures Forecast 2025: Food & Drink report.

Strategic opportunity

Rethink product rituals and social moments through the lens of functionality. Collaborate with wellness brands or develop low-caffeine, benefit-led drinks that meet Gen Z’s demand for health without compromise