Long time Green Prophet readers will know that Dubai and other Gulf nations have a thing for artificial islands, despite the overwhelming evidence that demonstrates how their construction is not conducive to healthy marine environments.

In addition to a wild array of fantastic schemes that never properly hatched, some have – including The World Islands, which recently played host to the world’s largest and longest fireworks display.

An Italian design firm, Luca Curci brings something of a social conscience to their scheme for a contemporary city comprised of five land-based buildings and five “moons” placed in varying distances away from the sea shore.

A series of parks and roads connect the various structures to one another, and more than half of the mixed-use development would be devoted to green space.

The architects emphasize that Organic Cities is designed to promote interaction and community, that well-being centers will stand alongside retail facilities, and that hundreds of opportunities to socialize and engage with other community members would be embedded in the city’s design.

However, this project is very much geared towards a wealthy community, and it has a strong materialistic bent. According to the architect’s design brief, 6,300,000 square meters would be devoted to malls, galleries and museums.

The smaller crescent moons are designed for residential use, medium sized moons are used as hotels that can be reached by both air and sea, while the largest are made up of residential units, hotel accommodation and private apartments.

One 470 meter tall building will act as a landmark structure visible from afar, but most of the remaining buildings will reach no higher than 190 meters.

“This [sic] kind of structures will develop again the connections between humans, during everyday life,” writes Luca Curci, “with thousand of common places that will aggregate crowds, to win the alienation of XX and XXI century cities.”

While this concept is unlikely to develop any further, we have been surprised by in the past by projects that seemed far too outlandish to be possible, such as the underwater hotel that is currently underway.

We can only hope that if it does come to fruition, careful attention will be paid to ensure that the artificial “moons” do not have a detrimental impact on the Gulf ecology.

The post Offshore crescent-shaped moons and modular land buildings for futuristic metropolis in the UAE appeared first on Green Prophet.

The New York Times recently profiled the billionaire, who is one of the country’s most powerful men. With close ties to president Ilham Aliyev, he is uniquely positioned to realize a sudden mad idea he had while flying from Dubai to Baku to build the artificial Khazar Islands on the Caspian Sea. And though he claims this is not the case, the plan sounds eerily like Dubai. Except worse.

While Dubai has damaged both the desert and the Arabian/Persian Gulf with its rapid coastline development, Ibrahimov also plans to take down part of the country’s cultural heritage with thousands of shiny new apartments, 55 artificial islands, eight hotels, an airport, a snazzy yacht club and a Formula One racetrack.

Some of these mosques, mansions and palaces date back to the 7th Century, according to NYT. But Ibrahimov’s 24 year old assistant gushes that all of it – including the street vendors – will be gone by the time the so-called vision is realized by 2022.

The plan’s biggest selling point, according to Ibrahimov, the building that is supposed to draw scores of wealthy investors to a country bordered by Armenia and Iran, is a 3,445 foot skyscraper called, rather unimaginatively, Azerbaijan Tower.

He will live in a penthouse at the top, he has said, a goal that instantly reminded me of my 14 year old cousin’s naive declaration that he wants to be so rich one day that he will have his own skyscraper in Manhattan.

Ibrahimov is 40 years older, but he is no better able to keep his ambitions in healthy check than my young cousin.

When he got off the plane on which he hatched his USD 100 billion McCity idea, he didn’t head down to the local planning office. Nor did he contact his nearest environmental protection agency. Instead, he went straight to his developers and had blueprints drawn up.

We would be willing to eat our words if this is not the case, but the haste with which the “vision” was put into place suggests that environmental due process was perhaps overlooked.

Which is interesting since Ibrahimov admitted that The Palm smells bad as a result of poor environmental management when that artificial island was built in Dubai. Artificial islands disrupt the natural ecosystem in which they are built, not to mention the mountain that is being destroyed to provide the necessary “foundation” of rock and soil.

Like Abu Dhabi, Azerbaijan got rich with oil. But so far, the country’s leadership appears to possess none of the humility regarding environmental pressures that the Gulf country has demonstrated.

And this is dangerous. An inland lake, the Caspian Sea is home to a dazzling variety of species, but already it is beset with pollution problems – largely thanks to Azerbaijan’s outdated oil refineries.

Then there is the not-so-slight issue of rising water levels. The Caspian Sea has risen about 2.25 meters since 1978, according to UNESCO:

In addition to the danger posed to oil fields (e.g.in Kazakstan and Azerbaijan), the sea-level rise results in changes in: water regime, hydrochemical regime of river mouths, dynamics and chemical composition of groundwater, structure and productivity of biological communities in the littoral and in river mouths, sediment deposition patterns, pollution by heavy metals, petroleum products, synthetic organic substances, radioactive isotopes and other substances.

This doesn’t bode well for artificial islands.

:: The New York Times

Image of Maiden Castle in Baku, Azerbaijan, Shutterstock

The post Megalomaniac Billionaire to Destroy Azerbaijan With Artificial McCity appeared first on Green Prophet.

The right to solarize

The National reports that Nakheel – the developers behind such irresponsible projects as The World artificial islands and Palm Jumeirah – declined to comment about Caden’s decision to reject their costly cooling service, but property lawyers from a local firm told the paper that he is well within his rights.

With help from Solar Sun 4 Life, the certified UK solar company that installed the first Jumeirah Island solar array, Caden was very careful to respect local planning laws even though this limited the amount of energy he could derive from the sun.

Instead of using terra-cotta panels that would have generated all 90 kilowatts of the home’s energy requirement, which are not permitted by Nakheel’s restrictions, he had to settle for a system that provides about 70 kilowatts, and the remaining power is derived from Dubai Electricity and Water (DEWA).

The chiller absorbs a great deal of the home’s power, but on cooler days, the rooftop array generates enough energy to run the home’s lights, cooker, fridge and other electronics.

Caden expects a return on his $48,000 investment within the next five years given the price of Nakheel’s district cooling.

And if that seems hefty, bear in mind that some of the Jumeirah Island villas are nearly 15,000 square feet – far larger than the average home – such that they require a pile of energy to stay cool. But the sun shines long and hard in Dubai and us mere mortals are no match for its infinite power.

:: The National

More on Jumeirah and Solar in Dubai:

More Signs of Dubai’s Foul Ecology at Jumeirah Islands

Dubai to Invest $3 Billion in 1,000 MW Solar Farm

Dubai Might Buy Solar off Roofs

The post Briton Replaces Gulf Developer’s Costly Cooling with Solar appeared first on Green Prophet.

If you need another reason to support the Barcelona soccer team, this might help: in order to expand their fan base in the Middle East and Asia, Real Madrid is joining forces with the United Arab Emirates to build a giant soccer resort complete with a stadium, fancy villas, two high rise hotels, and a hi-tech museum. But here’s the most egregious part of the plan: even though a report was released by scientists last year that puts responsibility of coral and biodiversity loss squarely in the lap of unfettered development, Real Madrid intends to build their 430,000 square foot soccer resort on an artificial archipelago in the Arabian/Persian Gulf.

It’s hard to decide what is more disappointing? That Real Madrid has conceived this absurd scheme to build a series of manmade islands that will have a deleterious impact on their sensitive Gulf ecosystem, or that it has government support. Just when we thought that the governments of Abu Dhabi and Dubai were leaving the rest of the region in their green dust, Ras al-Khaimah’s government sanctions a project that sets the entire region behind environmentally (but not financially.)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4flpfb388Qk[/youtube]

According to The Guardian, Real’s stadium includes an amusement park and a 10,000 seaside football stadium. The project, which is slated for completion in 2015, will cost $1 billion to build and is expected to draw one million visitors in the first year.

With nearly half of Real’s 300 million fans based in Asia, according to the club’s president Florentino Pérez,”It is a decisive and strategic step that will strengthen our institution in the Middle East and Asia.”

If soccer fans haven’t had enough fun in Qatar after the 2022 World Cup, perhaps they can head over to Real Madrid’s resort in the United Arab Emirates. If they can afford it.

Judging by prices charged at other luxury resorts in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, this one won’t be for the fans who keep soccer alive. And it certainly does nothing to improve an ailing Gulf ecosystem.

:: The Guardian, Inhabitat

More on the Gulf and Artificial Islands:

Rapid Gulf Growth Wrecking Ecological Havoc

Dutch Company Floats New Idea for Artificial World Island Developers

Dubai’s Artificial World Islands are Killing Corals

The post Is Real Madrid’s $1 Billion Artificial Island Another Reason to Support Barcelona? appeared first on Green Prophet.

The Malacca Straits Mosque in Malaysia is arguably the world’s most beautiful and it is vulnerable to rising seas.

Malaysia is one of the few countries that share Dubai’s obsession with manmade islands and grandeur. We have often cast a critical eye on the Emirate’s core developers for building artificial islands that have wrecked havoc on the Gulf’s marine environment, but the danger doesn’t end there.

As increasing levels of greenhouse gases choke the planet and giant plumes of methane fast-track global warming, glaciers and ice caps melt, leaving all low-lying and coastal developments vulnerable to rising sea levels. Take a look at the beautiful Malacca Straits Mosque in Malaysia. It was propped up on concrete pillars, but how will it fare in a few decades when the Strait of Malacca is one meter higher?

Monitoring sea levels

One of the most important shipping lanes in the world, the Strait of Malacca is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The Malay Government has long known this. Even during colonial times, tidal stations were set up to monitor sea levels in the country.

According to the Sea Level Monitoring Network, “there are 12 tidal stations along the coast of Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia) and 9 tidal stations along the coast of Sabah and Sarawak (East Malaysia).”

But this hasn’t stopped such improbable developments as the Malacaa Island – the first “Twin Island City Center” – on which southern shore the Malacca Straits Mosque was built.

The hubris of humanity

Undertaken by Pulau Kembar Sdn Bhd. – a 98.999%-owned subsidiary of Talam – the project involved the reclamation of two artificial islands off the coast of Malacca measuring 40ha and 50ha respectively. Although an impressive engineering feat, we know by now that such construction hinders natural currents and drums up silt, which in turn disturbs marine habitats.

The Mosque was completed towards the end of 2006 and cost US$3.3 million. Although there’s nothing at all green about it, it would be a shame to see such a beautiful building swallowed up by water. But there’s a strong chance of this.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “global warming from the greenhouse effect could raise sea level one meter about one meter in the next century and several meters in the next few hundred years by expanding ocean water, melting mountain glaciers, and causing ice sheets to melt or slide into the oceans.”

This rise would ” inundate deltas, coral atoll islands, and other coastal lowlands, erode beaches, exacerbate coastal flooding, and threaten water quality in estuaries and aquifers.”

Inundated with water

The Welt Atlas map above shows the extent to which Malaysia is surrounded by water. In 1992, the non-government Malaysian Climate Change Group (MCCG) was established to draw attention to the country’s susceptibility to rising seas and other environmental issues.

In response, the government established the Ninth Malaysia plan 2006-2010) that establishes mechanisms to mitigate climate change issues. Science Alert lists some of the plans priorities:

• Conduct Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) study;
• Implement Coastline Protection Program
• Develop Integrated Coastal Zone Management
• Implement Flood Mitigation Program
• Identify the Relationship Between Climate Change and Vector-Borne Diseases

Climate change is no secret. We understand the dangers. But our denial jeopardizes all of our hard work – our beautiful works of architecture – and other important achievements. What will it take for us to change?

:: We discovered the second beautiful image of the Malacca Mosque on Urban Peek’s Facebook page.

More on Artificial Islands and Architecture on Green Prophet:

Israel Considers Building an Artificial Island off the Coast of Gaza

 Dutch Company Floats New Idea for World Island Investors in Dubai

Trouble in Paradise: Water Failure at Luxury Apartments in Dubai

The post The World’s Most Beautiful Mosque in Malaysia is Vulnerable to Rising Seas appeared first on Green Prophet.

A report last week showed that development projects like The World manmade islands above are destroying the Gulf’s fragile marine ecosystem. One major culprit, Nakheel, aims to restore their own damage with 500 artificial reefs.

Last week the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health in Toronto released the first official report linking rapid development projects with widespread destruction to the Gulf’s marine environment. Environmentalists and activists have long suspected that man-made islands and row after row of the world’s biggest this and that could not possibly be sustainable but the report taken up by such prestigious journals as Nature finally made that truth unequivocal.

Much of the damage done to this fragile ecosystem can be attributed to real estate developers Nakheel, which is behind such projects as The World manmade islands, Palm Jumeirah, and Palm Jebel Ali. Although they told The National it has nothing to do with the damning report released last week, the company recently announced that they will build 500 artificial reefs in an effort to restore the ecosystem in and around their own projects. 

Bring back the fish

The National reports that Nakheel is working with Emirates Marine Environmental Group to develop a vast system of artificial reefs that is expected to attract fish back to the site within the next 6 months. Whereas previously divers and fishermen were not permitted to visit the areas surrounding Nakheel’s numerous coastal developments, they are now promising to open up 10% of the area to the public.

Nakheel’s chairman Ali Rashid Lootah told The National:

We thought it is important to help increase the marine life,” adding “It’s a normal practice that international businesses do some social work and we thought that because most of our development is on the marine side, we thought [such work] should be that side.”

Artificial reefs are manmade structures that are usually placed in fairly shallow waters. Concrete, metal, plastic and other materials are anchored permanently to not only attract fish and boost fishing or diving during a particular season, but also to act as a deterrent to destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawlers.

Unhappy investors 

It is unclear how much Nakheel will spend to realize this ambitious program, though investors waiting for their own projects to be completed are reportedly not thrilled with this newly announced expenditure.

The World Wildlife Fund has listed the Gulf’s ecosystem as critically endangered as a result of overfishing and warmer, more acidic waters that are melting coral reefs around the world. It is believed that restoring these ecosystems that provide crucial habitat to a variety of marine life, can help to mitigate much manmade damage.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) cautions, however, that artificial reefs are not a panacea. On their website they note that “In terms of habitat rehabilitation, artificial reefs have little, if any, success as they only concern a limited area.”

:: The National

The post Developer’s Artificial Reefs Unlikely to Restore Gulf Damage appeared first on Green Prophet.

We can’t think of anything more unfortunate than getting stuck with an artificial island (like this one that Israel proposes to build off Gaza). But investors who bought one of 300 “countries” off the coast of Dubai will be happy to know that Dutch Docklands from the Netherlands is proposing to create floating islands as a more sustainable option to the “World’s” artificial islands.

Devastating to marine environments out of which they are scraped together, artificial islands are also costly to develop. But in an exclusive interview with Emirates 24/7, Dutch Dockland’s CEO Paul van de Camp reveals that investors who purchased water masses along with their landmass now have a building option that won’t require any additional infrastructure to build.

Van de Camp told Emirates 24/7 that investors with water masses can avoid pouring a ton of money into developing their artificial island.

“As all the equipment is within the island and is therefore completely self supporting; the owners do not have to depend on getting any infrastructure ready,” he says.

The same developers behind the floating Golf Course in the Maldives and The Floating Proverb, Dutch Docklands are also going to propose the floating island option to Qatar, where the 2016 Soccer World Cup is going to be held.

“They will need to build infrastructure and stadiums. Although for many people it will be quite a visionary thought, but we can build a floating stadium or even a whole village for them,” van de Camp told the paper.

With sea levels rising as a result of climate change, many designers and planners are pitting floating structures as a viable infrastuctural and housing solution. Who knows what will come of marine life when human beings extend their colonies into the world’s oceans. In the meantime, let us know: do you think floating islands are better than artificial islands?

:: Emirates 24/7

The post Dutch Company Floats New Idea for Artificial “World” Island Investors appeared first on Green Prophet.

When one thinks of Dubai shopping, economic prowess and cleanliness come to mind. While all three have become staples and synonymous with the Gulf city, the environmental toll that has been unleashed as a result is beginning to force government officials to take note. The city’s energy output, in order to turn sewage into fresh water, pump electricity into houses and the need to keep all the grand edifices running smoothly, is being hampered now by the environmental degradation that has come in its place. Officials are now worried that without action, Dubai could face major problems in the near future.

“We are looking at how to keep our status as a top city and at the same time incorporate solid environmental practices into the city’s development,” Abdallah Abdel Razek, a government planner, told Bikya Masr.

Around the region, other countries are attempting to build similar cities, but it isn’t going well. Qatar is another of those places that shines in the Arab world in terms of development, but a recent study by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) reported that Qatar has the largest per capita output of carbon emissions. Not good for a region struggling with the environment.

Water in the desert is a tough situation facing Dubai. According to the government, it desalinates four billion liters of water daily. Desalination processes produce massive amounts of carbon emissions and is making Dubai one of the world’s largest carbon footprint cities.

The Gulf, a major source of water for the region, has seen its salinity rise to 47,000 parts per million, up from 32,000 only three decades ago, The Economic Times reported. Those levels, say environmental experts, are a major threat to marine and land life, including vital ecosystems.

“What we are witnessing is a turning point for Dubai and other places in the Gulf,” Adam Rison, an environmental consultant for the European Union, told Bikya Masr. He said that without concerted action to at least curtail the current carbon levels, “the region could face a rapid decline of ecosystems that would threaten the very existence of human populations.”

For the government, it is a thin line between sustainability and maintaining its status as a glitzy, skyscraper filled city that has attracted numerous large corporations and firms to the Gulf. The question now, said Abdel Razek, “is whether we can bridge development with sustainable practices. I think we can.”

Read more on ungreen Dubai:
Islands Smell Foul In Dubai
Coastal Erosion Threatens Evolutionary Hotspots In Gulf Region
Durrat Al Bahrain Artificial Islands – “A Place Like No Other”
Mega Urban Developments In Gulf Region A Natural Disaster Waiting to Happen

This story is reprinted courtesy of Bikya Masr.

The post A Turning Point for Serious Environmental Problems In Dubai appeared first on Green Prophet.