Earthships are off-grid, self-sustaining homes designed by Michael Reynolds to provide shelter, water, power, waste treatment, food, and comfort—using recycled and local materials. From forests to deserts, their design adapts to any climate, blending modern resilience with traditional building wisdom.
A hallmark of Nubian construction is the Nubian vault, a technique for creating arched roofs without the need for timber or modern scaffolding. This gravity-based, pressure-stabilized structure was not only resource-efficient but also incredibly durable.
New Cairo is seeing the American dream being built as new luxury housing.
H. Masud Taj meets Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy.
Nestled in the arid landscapes of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, the Ad Madam Ghost Village whispers tales of a bygone era, a haunting reminder of the consequences of unsustainable urban development.
The history, challenges and what we can learn about New Gourna, the sustainable town invented and built by Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy.
This one-month training course will use Al Ain, UAE as an open-air laboratory for participants to learn practical, hands-on methods for preserving earthen buildings and archaeological sites.
Want to make a low cost home from natural, local materials that last? Try a Super Adobe invented by Nader Khalili.
The SuperAdobe technique for sustainable building with the most basic materials is in use around the world.
In the unrelenting Middle East sun, one thing is very clear when you build a new home: it must work with the elements. Standing the test of time are traditional Arabic buildings that kept families and worshippers cool for centuries, long before air conditioning was invented. A new “green” teaching and research center in the […]
In 1946 Hassan Fathy, Egypt’s Green architect, built a model village near Luxor called ‘New Gourna’ out of mud. But what happened to this stunning village? Hassan Fathy, author of Earth & Utopia is the Middle East’s father of sustainable architecture. Before it was fashionable or even fathomable, he was championing earth architecture in the […]
Scott Howard is among a growing number of people working on building projects that are not only eco-friendly, but actually help to regenerate natural systems. Once built, the Regenerative Home in Colorado will hopefully produce its own food in an entryway greenhouse and vertical garden, process all of its own waste, capture and recycle water […]
Who was Hassan Fathy, the earth based architect who inspired the Middle East? Exactly forty years ago, Hassan Fathy published his groundbreaking book on community-inspired mud architecture in Egypt. To mark his book’s 40th anniversary and commemorate his green legacy, we spoke to Salma Samar Damluji who worked with Fathy in Cairo in 1975 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 […]
If Hassan Fathy is the father of sustainable architecture, then Nader Khalili must be his close cousin.