The new Siemens Headquarters in Masdar City will be 65, 617 square feet when completed by the end of this year. We recently reported that Siemens has teamed up with Masdar to develop a new generation of sand-resistant solar panels that will make more sense for desert environments, and that building the firm’s Middle Eastern […]
I speak to green campaigner Safa Al Jayoussi about nuclear power, green buildings and the role the region needs to play at the next climate summit in Qatar The next stop on my whirlwind tour of all that is green and eco in Jordan is the Green Building Council. And perfect timing too. It was […]
Ziad Tassabehji is one of the most influential men in the new green Middle East. Until now he’s kept pretty quiet about his involvement in Masdar. He came from the dot-com market with a boom and a bust, but in the Arab world. Ziad Tassabehji (pictured above with his son) has always been an entrepreneur […]
The World Health Organization gets LEED Gold certification, a first for the Hashemite Kingdom. It’s like the Olympics, but in green building codes: The new Amman headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) just grabbed top kudos for green building: Certified Gold under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a world standard for green […]
Investment in renewables grew 104 percent in 2010 in the Middle East and North Africa region- is this a step towards a renewables revolution? According to data from the United Nations Environment Programme, new investment in renewables in the Middle East and Africa region grew 104 percent in 2010 to $5billion. From inspiring solar projects […]
From Linz to Tel Aviv: the lifeguard loveshack, a future Pixel Hotel in Tel Avi rendering. Tafline reported last week on the unusual and super neat project of Pixel Hotels. The idea started in Linz, Austria where unconventional and unused urban properties like garages or spaces within galleries – like a trailer in a gallery […]
Rollercoaster speeds can turn you “green”, but the ‘coaster itself is hardly energy friendly. Time for a stroller coaster. United Arab Emirates might hold the Guinness World Record for Holding the Most Guinness World Records, and one of those prizes goes to the world’s fastest ride: the Formula 1 Rollercoaster at Abu Dhabi’s Ferrari World (itself […]
Walnut floors and bookshelves gives “warmth”, but at a cost of live trees that take 50 years to grow The use of ornate wood products in building homes, furniture and ships has been part of humanity since time began. Even the Bible gives note to using wood for ornate construction projects with such examples as King […]
A permaculture garden and a mud-brick house, the Dead Sea Harmony Centre in Jordan spreads the word on sustainability William Alajalian, who was born and raised in the Dead Sea area of Ghor Mazraa, may be new to environmentalism but he is more passionate and pro-active than most campaigners. Around three years ago, his passion […]
Through his free movie First Earth David Sheen is passing on the positive transformation that occurred in his life after learning about ecological architecture. When David Sheen first decided to make a film that depicts the history, necessity, and straight-up sensibility of ecological architecture, he had no idea what a massive task he had […]
At least 19 people have died following the collapse of a 1940s apartment building in Beirut, Lebanon on Sunday. The owner of the 5 storey building that collapsed on Sunday killing 19 people has been arrested. The Daily Star reports that Lebanon’s Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told local media that Michel Saadeh is being questioned […]
Kerry Bingham’s off-grid earth bag home in Turkey only cost $3,761 to build. Everybody’s talking about earth bag construction lately, including The National, which reported this weekend that a British woman has built an earthbag home a la Iranian architecture Nader Khalili. Using dirt from her own 6,500 square foot plot of land, the artist and […]
This Foster & Partner’s project completed in 2004 is green and deeply respectful of its environment – why did they change their design approach? In 2004, Foster & Partners completed this gorgeous Chesa Futura apartment building in Switzerland using a combination of modern modeling tools and ancient construction techniques. Situated on the edge of a […]
Israel Chemicals, which is a cause of major environmental hazards in Israel, is funding a School of Sustainability in Herzliya With shale oil funding green education in Jordan and major polluting Israeli companies paying to set up sustainability schools, green education is looking more like ‘greenwash’ every day. It recently emerged that Israel Chemicals and […]
Designed by Hassan Fathy, the Akil Sami House in Egypt is a fairly recent example of earth architecture that is both beautiful and functional. If the architecture mentor is successful, his or her student will first absorb and then build upon their lessons until they eventually supersede the original teachings with new knowledge. Certainly this […]