Luca Curci architects have designed a concept for a futuristic metropolis in the United Arab Emirates that is comprised of modular “organic” buildings on land and offshore crescent-shaped “moons.”
A former soldier in the Israeli Defense Force, Roee Magdassi knows how bulky and unsteady camping grills can be. Now a student at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, he created Stakes – an awesome new grill that makes standard iterations look like dinosaurs.
Dom Arquitectura designed 4 Houses in Jeddah, a large city in western Saudi Arabia, where summer temperatures often surpass 109 °F. Hit the jump to find out how the studio used Islamic and passive design to keep the homes cool.
We’re not the biggest fans of all the Middle East’s skyscrapers – the Burj Khalifa, the Kingdom Tower coming to Saudi and other soaring glass towers, because of their high environmental impact. Which is why we got such a kick out of these awesome candles from China.
Renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, who is most famous for his spectacular bridges, has unveiled a radical new design for three bridges and an elevated park that will completely transform Doha’s skyline in time for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
A central hub of innovation is great for incubating clean tech breakthroughs. Abu Dhabi has Masdar City, Saudi Arabia has KAUST, and Turkey will soon have the Ostim Eco Park. ONZ Architects strike the perfect balance between nature and development with their incredibly efficient green-roofed design proposal for the park, slated for construction in Ankara.
Alchemist Lauren Bowker has created an ink that changes color based on the environment around it. She impregnates her dye into fabric and feathers, then constructs clothing (and sculpture) that reacts to chemicals in the surrounding atmosphere. Now you can wear climate change and pollution on your sleeve!
We love Etsy as much as anyone, but we also feel it is our duty to support local efforts to collate cool design, handmade arts and crafts. CIRQY from Egypt does just that.
A provocative installation by Lebanese graphic designer Wael Kodeih aims to challenge cyber censorship. Part of the fifth annual Exposure exhibition now at the Beirut Art Center (BAC), is it art or gimmick?
Living large isn’t sustainable, at least that is what most green hearts tend to believe, but Sanzpont Arquitectura disagrees. Invited to participate in an international competition to design a private residence in Qatar, the studio came up with ‘A Palace for Nature’ – a magnificent solar-powered palace modeled after the sidra tree.
Lebanon’s government has finally agreed to a trial run of IKEA’s prefabricated flatpack homes designed for refugees, but they’re not excited about it.
Pressured to knock off your Christmas shopping? Need a uniquely sustainable gift? Online marketplaces Etsy and Dawanda let you browse quirky, handmade items without burning any petrol, and offer a decent alternative to glitzy energy-guzzling “lifestyle centers.”
I’ll bet snow-capped pine trees and ice-crusted cars don’t spring to mind when you think of the Middle East, but that’s what we’re seeing in Amman as we tuck into the second straight day of fierce blizzarding. A perfect setting to tuck in with some simple knitting.
Residents of Abu Dhabi might be familiar with buildings made from palm leaves and earth, but cardboard? Legendary Japanese architect Shigeru Ban built Design Souq – a mobile, recyclable pavilion made entirely out of cardboard that is every bit as sturdy as brick or stone.
The history of handmade tiles in Tunisia is fascinating. Green Prophet digs deep between the tiles of a rundown factory in Roman Neapolis, Nabeul, a historic tile making center in Tunisia, to discover what fragments remain of this disappearing art.