Masdar's district plaza was earmarked in a revised masterplan as one of the significant civic open spaces within the city and the first to be designed and realized. Chris was challenged to create a plaza space to showcase Masdar's mission as a world-class leader in sustainable urban design and architecture.

Chris focused the plaza design on five prime objectives. 1) Reduce the height of the architecture surrounding the plaza to a human scale. 2) Decrease the temperature of the plaza with reliable, deep shade. 3) Transition pedestrians almost eight meters vertically from plaza level to the existing MIST (Masdar Institute of Science and Technology) campus podium. 4) Provide opportunities for plaza retail and exterior dining. 5) Provide a flexible plaza space to accommodate daily activities and graduation ceremonies.

Chris' resulting design takes advantage of the plaza's aspect with a sculpted retail deck structure in composition with a flexible use lawn. The sinuous structural form casts shade across the plaza's most exposed quadrant while creating a more comfortable human scale. The structure integrates openings to allow daylight at the lower level and shade tree planting to penetrate the upper level. The upper deck also provides terraced seating at the perimeter with views over the plaza and lawn for casual daily use and large events.