Architecture

If you’ve seen “binishell homes” popping up across architecture feeds this year, you’re not imagining it. The iconic inflatable concrete house—originally invented in the 1960s by architect Dante Bini—is suddenly back in global headlines. And there’s one big reason: climate resilience. And hey, Robert Downey Junior lives in one. 

Rather than treating displacement as a temporary emergency, this project is reframed as a human condition requiring stability, community, and dignity. By combining vernacular wisdom with adaptable modular planning, the project offers a model for refugee housing that is scalable, low-carbon, and deeply respectful of local identity. For Somalia’s displaced families, a mud-brick home may be the most modern solution of all.

Round homes ask us to rethink building conventions. Their curves offer comfort, efficiency, and surprising strength—but they require intentional window design. Whether you’re building in the desert, forest, or city fringe, one of these solutions will fit your climate, materials, and aesthetic.

Roshan’s reflection situates the Houston Ismaili Center within a broader discussion about architecture as diplomacy — where aesthetics, faith, and geopolitics intersect. Her words challenge readers to question whether “green” design and grand symbolism can coexist without transparency and accountability.

Most developers see economic downturns as something to endure. Michael Shanly has consistently seen them as opportunities to strengthen his business for the long term. Across five major crises – from the 1974 property crash to the COVID-19 pandemic – his approach has remained remarkably steady: adapt quickly, stay close to operations, and make decisions that build resilience rather than short-term relief.

On November 6, 2025, Houston welcomed its newest civic landmark: the Ismaili Center, Houston, a luminous Shia Muslim complex overlooking Buffalo Bayou Park that merges Islamic art, architecture, and landscape design.

Across Ontario and California, builders are rethinking concrete housing through inflatable-shell design—an approach that replaces wooden formwork with air and innovation. A 1,000-square-foot low-carbon concrete shell, insulated with hempcrete, can be erected in a day and cost far less than conventional construction. Over time, the savings in energy, materials, and mortgage costs make this model a realistic response to rising living expenses and climate stress. With low-carbon cement, hempcrete walls, and renewable energy, inflatable concrete homes show how even the world’s most carbon-heavy material can become part of a sustainable future—if built smartly, and within local building codes.

Some small Binishell prototypes have been built for around US $3,500 using sprayed concrete over an inflatable form. Automatic Construction reports shell costs of roughly $10–$30 per square foot for 100- to 200-square-foot prototypes—far below standard homebuilding prices. The Vienna method is described as “quick and cost-saving” for double-curved shell structures, but specific dollar/€ cost numbers are not given in the available sources.

The TEDxOmid Architecture event in Tehran promised sustainability and social justice but revealed deep contradictions between its rhetoric and reality. This in-depth report exposes how Iran’s star architects—linked to commercial tower projects and weak environmental accountability—reflect a pattern of architectural greenwashing under the guise of “responsive design.”

The luxury resort now under legal challenge on Assomption Island is being developed by Assets Group, a Qatar-based real estate company that advertises the project on its own website as a collection of high-end villas and spa facilities in the Seychelles. According to multiple reports, including Mongabay and The Seychelles Nation, the developer is tied to Qatari investors and has relied on the London-based PC Agency to promote the project internationally. Environmental groups allege that Assets Group’s expansion near the UNESCO-protected Aldabra Atoll risks introducing invasive species and undermining decades of conservation work.

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Greenhouses, aquaculture systems, and crops of lemongrass and lavender tie the project to contemporary concerns: food security, ecological resilience, and sustainable livelihoods in a fragile region facing climate extremes. 

Other notable mud structures in the wider Muslim world include the Bob Dioulasso Grand Mosque in Burkina Faso, and the Khiva Wall in Uzbekistan, which is built around a collection of Islamic schools and mosques. The Siwa Oasis in Egypt (which we visited and posted about here) and the Eastern Castle in Syria have also employed mud bricks in their construction, and research shows that the famous walls of Jericho were built using sun-dried mud bricks.

The hotel’s basic ozonation and composting systems lack advanced treatment needed for sensitive coastal zones. Without independent monitoring, there’s no way to confirm that wastewater meets safety standards. On an island without a municipal sewage network, any leakage could threaten coral reefs, seagrass beds, and turtle habitats.

The 2025 Aga Khan Award for Architecture honors seven projects from Bangladesh to Iran that blend sustainability, cultural heritage, and community empowerment — from flood-resilient homes to the revival of Egypt’s historic Esna — showcasing how design can tackle climate, social, and urban challenges with beauty and purpose.