Super Adobe by Cal-Tech and Nader Khalili
Want to make a low cost home from natural, local materials that last? Try a Super Adobe invented by Nader Khalili.
passive design
Dubai’s Sustainability Pavilion for Expo 2021 revealed in real
Dubai will host the World Expo 2020 in 2021. We show off first look of the Sustainability Pavilion.
Why Businesses Should Go Green With Their Architectural Plans
Moshe Safdie, Metalocus in China
Ceramic tile factory makes roof tiles as bird shelters
Ottoman traditions of building mansions for birds, a tile factory Hitit Terra in Turkey had a new idea: turn some of the tiles for roofs into nesting boxes for birds
New Yorkers go hard against fossil fuels, divest $215.5 billion pension funds from fossil fuels
You got to love New Yorkers. They are real, and they are often serious. And they like to walk the walk. So New Yorkers have a lot to celebrate now that their elected mayor Mayor Bill de Blasio declared that he will stop all new fossil fuel projects within and serving the city. Great talk, but what are locals doing really?
Stay in one of these underground caves or hotels
We were quite taken with these long-standing caves in Iran, and with this eco-boutique hotel in Turkey, but neither match the style of the restored Yunak Evleri hotel in Cappadocia. With fixings such as marble in the reception area, it isn’t the most modest tourism facility we have featured, but we do love to see history, nature, and travel merge in creative harmony.
Eole’s double-duty turbines wick water from wind
Pull free, safe drinking water straight from the sky! The earth’s atmosphere is a huge freshwater reserve, packed with 13,000 cubic kilometers of moisture, yet over 150 million of people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water. Green Prophet has reported on billboards that harvest clean water from air. A company called Eole Water has taken the same concept and “built […]
These houses shade with sliding Islamic shutters
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.
Louvre Abu Dhabi Finally Breaks Ground on Saadiyat Island
It has been more than three years since France’s Pritzker prize winning architect Jean Nouvel won the bid to design a sparkling new art museum for Abu Dhabi, and now construction on the new Louvre has finally broken ground.
Mediterranean Net-Zero Home Based on 3,500-Year-Old Israeli Design
Team Israel is all pumped up to show off their design skills at the upcoming 2013 international Solar Decathlon competition in China with All [e] Land – a Mediterranean net-zero prefab dwelling based on a 3,500-year-old archetypal Israeli design.
Green-Thumbed Journalist Nick Leech Defends Gulf Design
Just when thousands of expatriates were fleeing their Gulf homes during the global economic collapse four years ago, Nick Leech was moving in. He was one of the lucky ones, but that has more to do with his diverse talents than good luck. Originally from the UK, Nick first trained as an architectural and design […]
A Simple Piece of Fabric Transforms Bahrain Gateway (PICS)
A new pavilion by A-Bureau takes back an area of downtown Bahrain overrun by traffic – even if only temporarily. Right in the midst of the worst government crackdowns in Bahrain last year, we interviewed Camille Zakharia – a talented photographer whose work has been shown all over the world. Recently he sent us images […]
Ksour – Adobe Granaries That Keep Food Cool Berber Style
This beautifully-restored adobe granary in Tunisia keeps food cool without any kind of mechanical intervention. The benefits of earth architecture have been well-documented on Green Prophet, so we were very excited to discover these wonderful adobe granaries called Ksar (Ksour is plural) on our Tunisian journey. Possibly built as early as the 12th century by […]
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City Gives New Meaning to Retail Therapy
SOM is behind the new Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi, which will feature all kinds of “retail therapy!” The 2.5 million square foot Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi will combine three state of the art hospitals in one giant, green space. Aiming for two Estidama pearls, the new center designed by […]
Yaniv Pardo’s Twisting Tower for Netanya in Israel
Netanya’s efficient new twisting tower will be powered by geothermal energy and transform this once-obscure Israeli city. We have a real soft spot for earth architecture, such as Nader Khalili’s gorgeous domes and arches fit for space, and these amazing Syrian beehive-shaped buildings that have lasted hundreds of years, but we also acknowledge the great […]