Working with NASA as part of an initiative to design homes fit for space, Iranian architect Nader Khalili conceived the dome home, pictured above, as an affordable, accessible, easy to build, and environmentally sensible housing solution. This works in dry desert climates such as Iran, Israel, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority.

Nader first presented his Superadobe construction method, which involves stuffing bags full of readily available dirt and then stacking them in a circular form. The bags are held together with barbed wire, and then covered with lime plaster. Any holes are filled in with grout.

The resulting homes are so well-insulated, no air-conditioning is necessary in summer, and in winter, the thick walls retain enough heat to keep the interior space comfortably warm

In 1991, Khalili founded the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture (Cal-Earth), which continues to provide workshops and empower people around the world with these low impact structures.

Related: Nader-Khalili inspired eco resort in Oman wins big accolades from WAF

For SharmsArd, a Palestinian firm that Ahmad Daoud commissioned to build his home in Jericho, building with Earth was an obvious choice that allows them to feel empowered in the context of the nation’s ongoing struggle towards a peaceful unification with their neighbours.

One of the firm’s partners, Danna Massad, expresses their collective desire to operate independently of the foreign aid that so many Palestinians have to rely on to make any kind of respectable living in Palestine.

“I think the Palestinian society is oversaturated with international aid,” she told NPR’s Emily Harris several years back.

“Of course, we’re not the only example of a local business that refuses any kind of aid, but we can see how excited people get … to see how you can actually do something without being dependent.”

Despite some skepticism from his community, Daoud is chuffed with his new home. “It’s an environmentally friendly house,” he told NPR. “I can tear it down and nothing will remain. In the summer, I don’t need air conditioning, and in the winter, I don’t need heat.”

More photos of Super Adobe in Jericho:

Photos of the construction process taken from SharmsArd Facebook Page.

:: NPR

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When I was a kid my parents decided us 3 would go to the World Fair Expo ’84 in Vancouver. I loved travelling with my parents, but I felt the Expo was like a giant marketing event with each country trying to out-impress the other. The event didn’t really move me on the inside: Moving sidewalks, Egyptian relics imported. Video displays selling shiny images for each country, as they stand alone looking to the future. It felt something like pain and boredom together. 

Despite Covid-19, Expo 2020 set for Dubai this year will be postponed to October 2021, the most popular city to travel to in the United Arab Emirates. The theme will be “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” and will be based on mobility, sustainability and opportunity, with pavilions for each subject designed by starchitect firms Foster + Partners, Grimshaw Architects and AGi Architects. The UAE National Pavilion was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

Remember when we wrote about the solar panel pavilion covers in 2014? Now it’s becoming real, despite Covid setbacks.

The emirate has high hopes for the Expo next year as it shows itself off a center for innovation and leading “progress” in the Arab world. Its decision to host IRENA, the international energy consortia for renewable energy a decade ago, and last month announcing formal peace ties with the cleantech superpower Israel means plenty of new opportunities in solar energy, desalination and desert agriculture are in store for the UAE and region.

The Sustainability pavilion will show off technology and stories of the way we understand nature today. 

Dubai was awarded the Expo in 2013, and since then billions of dollars have been spent to develop it. After the Expo is over the 1,000 acre site will be repurposed with 80% of its infrastructure expected for reuse as a mixed commercial and residential development called District 2020.

We do hope it’s not all talk and a show show though like the Zero Carbon megacity Masdar not far from Abu Dhabi that was built more than a decade ago and which never lived up to its promise.

The Sustainability Pavilion, one of 3 pavilions, is designed by Grimshaw Architects in the UK, features “energy trees” that rotate with the sun to capture solar energy. We’ve seen versions of this kind of design in quite a few places to be honest, including in Dubai (2015) itself and also by Israeli designers (2014) who made a much less design-savvy-version of the trees. 

Grimshaw promo video for the pavilion:

Who will make the journey to the Dubai sustainability pavilion next year is anyone’s guess.  We expect there to be surprises from the countries that want to show off how they see the future. But how about looking back? 

How about desert windcatchers (like the ones from Yazd)? The passive no-tech nature of mashrabiya? Or saltwater agriculture from Qatar? Did you know there are ancient irrigation systems called aflaj throughout the Middle East? 

While it’s not clear how many people will be able to make the journey to the Expo next year, Dubai and United Arab Emirates are open for tourists. 

“We hope that people will join us to achieve our objectives to bring the world together and put humanity and the planet on the right path towards dignity for all,” said director general of Expo 2020 Dubai and UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, Reem Al Hashimy, who added more details about the Expo would be shared in the coming weeks.

Dubai has been planning this World Expo for more than 5 years. They deserve to host it and we hope to report on more sustainability ideas on a country basis as the year progresses. 

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Many conventional buildings that were built these days were designed with that modern and futuristic look. But, behind these looks is also the increased demand for energy production. Not to mention the adverse impacts on the environment that these modern yet poorly designed buildings have created. Unfortunately, a lot of skyscrapers that modern cities boast of have substantial impacts on the environment. Many of these buildings use resources, emit greenhouse gases, and degenerate waste that harms the environment. This is the same environment where people and other living things also live.

The damage that these modern buildings cause can be too profound that one may not have the exact idea of how it wreaks havoc to the environment. Thus, the need to create buildings that are focused on the concepts of green architecture.

Understanding Green Architecture

Green architecture refers to the concept of constructing and designing buildings while taking into consideration sustainable sources of energy. All aspects of the building must be created to become environmentally efficient. These are the kinds of buildings that require less energy to operate and use for many years to come.

Reasons to Go Green with Architectural Plans

Improvement in Energy Efficiency

Foreign investors who are planning to expand their businesses overseas will surely be impressed by the ecological awareness that your company building manifests. This is one way of showing that your establishment stands out from its competitors who are still in conventional buildings. The professionals from Architectural Cladding Suppliers believe that green architectural designs are brand differentiators. It is one of the best ways to show to your prospective investors that your company is among the leaders in terms of environmental awareness. Nowadays, leading lenders, along with the investors market have come to recognize the economic benefits of having a green building. Many of these investors are also looking to invest in companies that operate in green buildings that have earned certifications from environmental organizations. These certifications can also attract outstanding talents that are also just as environmentally conscious.

Makes Water Efficiency Possible

Buildings that adhere to eco-friendly architectural designs are built with water resource systems that make water efficiency possible. Many green buildings have alternative water sources in place which greatly reduce the strain that people may experience with shared water resources. These alternative water resources allow the purification of water while also enabling the process of recycling. These things are made possible because green buildings have sustainable plumbing systems. It gives all the building occupants the chance to use water responsibly. Water catchment systems may vary depending on what’s most suitable for your building design. An environment-friendly water catchment system makes it possible for a building to store and capture rainwater that can be used for different applications.

Reduction of Operational and Maintenance Cost

Green buildings are designed to lower the costs of energy usage. These buildings maximize the use of daylight, one lighting strategy that paves the way for lowered electricity costs. This feature alone of a green building already has a huge impact on the environment. Energy use accounts for 80 percent of the lifetime costs of maintaining a building. This also translates to more earnings and more money saved for building owners. Buildings that adhere to green architectural plans may entail higher costs during construction compared to conventional buildings. But, with the reduced costs spent on maintenance and operational costs, these green buildings are still considered cheaper over a while.

There are a plethora of benefits to green architectural plans. Businesses will be able to save on energy costs, with these in place. Not to mention the potential to attract more jobs and make significant contributions to the economy.

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The Turks and earlier the Ottomans have a rich tradition for pottery and ceramics. Go travelling to Turkey and you will be either be taken to a dozen pottery factories or a dozen shops to buy a carpet. Going back from ancient 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.

Enjoy the pictures below, along with some older renditions of Turkish bird houses.

Before you buy however, read the comments from an experienced bird house builder who claims the opening of the house along with the stick is like a snack dispensary for birds. The openings need to be narrow enough for certain species of birds to enter, but not too wide that predators can get in. We also suspect that with warming climates, best be advised to put them on the roof slope away from the sun.

All handmade things, including these Tunisian tiles risk disappearing forever, along with the birds. Let’s support and do handmade so we can keep our humanity and human scale in the built world.

Image credits of 3 images above: canercangul

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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.

This is the largest municipal ban announcement of its in the world. building on the mounting global movement for a just transition off fossil fuels to a renewable-energy economy that works for all.

“This is a monumental step for New Yorkers in making our home a model for real climate leadership, and a massive victory for frontline communities and climate activists everywhere,” said Dominique Thomas, a  350.org organizer and New Yorker. 

“As we enter the climate decade, we need transformational climate action, and now the financial center of the world is moving to stop all new fossil fuel projects. This move invigorates us to protect our communities from all gas, oil, and coal projects, including the Williams fracked gas pipeline, and implement a Green New Deal that works for all New Yorkers.”

What will New York do?

They are taking concrete climate action by divesting its $215.5 billion pension funds from fossil fuels, enacting nation-leading legislation to slash pollution from big buildings, pursuing Exxon and other Big Oil corporations in court for climate costs and damages, while expanding investments in wind and solar.

Community resistance to fracked gas projects within and around the City continues to grow, including over 70 elected officials opposing the Williams fracked gas pipeline and tens of thousands of New Yorkers calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to stop Williams and all fracked gas projects.

A wake up call to Wall Street, living in a parallel universe

“The Mayor of New York City announcing a ban on new fossil fuel projects will reverberate across the nation and around the world as a nail in the coffin of the fossil fuel economy,” said Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, 350.org North America Director. She is also a New Yorker:

“As our communities protect our health and safety by keeping fossil fuels in the ground, Wall Street banks and insurers enabling projects like Keystone XL, Line3, and coast to coast fracking need to wake up. The writing’s on the wall: move your money out of toxic fossil fuels and into real climate solutions.”

The Mayor is set to issue an executive order to implement this ban. This will be a critical step toward climate action, including ordinances, regulations, building code changes and legislation, to maximize the effectiveness of a ban and to ensure all staff and city agencies use all tools at their disposal, including how they engage in rate cases public service hearings.

In New York, utilities National Grid and Con-Ed have attempted to hold New Yorkers’ energy needs hostage, especially for small businesses, and Black and brown communities, says 350.org. We interviewed 350.org founder Bill McKibbens here.

350.org’s Phil Aroneanu On How To Build An Environmental Movement In The Middle East

Governor Cuomo and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) retain overall decision-making on new and existing projects. Now, New Yorkers are escalating the demand for Cuomo to stop the Williams fracked gas pipeline once and for all, and build on this announcement by declaring a ban on new fossil fuel projects across the state.

New York – we are cool. We like you. On second thought, no. We LOVE YOU. But if you look to your rooftops, they are less than impressively energy healthy. For years the city has been talking about green roofs, but only a handful like Henry Gordon Smith from Agritecture are pulling any weight.

Where are the passive solar water heaters, solar panels for collecting power? New York – it’s good to make bold statements, but what are citizens doing locally instead of just blaming Wall Street?

What’s the next steps for the eastern West?

Use available resources from selling oil and gas and invest in renewables. There is no reason why the warm climates of North Africa, the Levant, the former Middle East, the new western east can’t make this happen –– with all the sun that shines nearly year round. What happened to Desertec?

Meet DESERTEC’s Oliver Steinmetz: Opportunities for Middle East Countries

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Some advocates of eco architecture say that for preserving the urban space the higher up you build, the better. But with an astonishing amount of desert landscape all around us, in Asia, in the Middle East, Africa and even in the United States, we’re thinking – let’s showcase the buried homes, the sustainable buildings that have gone underground or which are built from caves. Underground homes which use earth as insulation can be heated and cooled passively and overhead, well just imagine the possibilities.

Stay with a Bedouin in his underground cave in Petra, Jordan

Although visitors don’t actually get a couch (they get a thin mat instead) and toilets don’t come with the package, just about everyone who has been to the cave in which Al-Bedoul was born and raised has good things to say: “Four friends and I spent one night at Ghassab’s cave. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I wish we had been able to stay for longer. I would go back in a heart beat!”

700-year-old underground hobbit cave homes in Iran

Nothing we’ve encountered yet deserves the eco, efficient, friendly, green, sustainable award as much as these seven century old cave homes that are for rent or for sale in Iran. They look like they might have been conceived by Salvador Dali and built by Antoni Gaudí, but indeed these cave homes are much much older than that. Carved into the volcanic rock at the foot of Mt. Sahand in Northeast Iran, the homes comprise both under and above ground space. A novel idea for future off grid architects?

Stay cool in this  5 Star underground hotel in Turkey

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. Once a sextet of cave houses carved out of soft limestone, a little cleanup and modern conveniences were added to this 5th-6th century marvel to produce a 21st century luxury hotel.

Emergency underground desert dwelling

This desert home will save you from climate change. Built 3 stories underground these Underground Desert Living Units by Reynard Loki and Jennifer Daniels is more than conceptual. They are about survival: “You’ve seen it happening in Australia already: Desert is spreading and things just won’t grow,” says Lovelock. “The island nations like New Zealand will be spared that kind of damage.” 

Emre Arolat’s underground Sancaklar mosque in Turkey

We’ve featured some of the world’s most beautiful mosques on Green Prophet, but this is the first that resembles a cave. Slated for a prairie landscape in Buyuk Cekmece on the outskirts of Istanbul, the Sancaklar Mosque by Emre Arolat Architects is designed to offer genuine reprieve from the growing madness of urban life.

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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 a better mousetrap” – or in this case, better wind turbine – retooling technology to siphon 1,000 liters of clean water a day from the same wind that is used to generate renewable energy.

They’ve been testing their prototype in the desert environment of Mussafah, on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi. Results indicate that this self-sufficient wind turbine (powered by a combination of solar and wind energy) is capable of producing up to 1,000 liters of potable water on a daily basis.

This system sidesteps a need to connect to a wider power grid, and its intelligent maintenance management system makes it particularly well suited to areas with little or no access to basic infrastructure.

It employs a condenser with a moisture exchange surface that is one meter wide and five kilometers long. Built from a revolutionary “food safe” alloy, it can sustain the water creation process for decades without risk of corrosion.

This new technology is maximally sustainable with air and sunshine being the only consumables. There is no carbon dioxide released, no groundwater drilling or water surface pumping. Collected water flows through a five-part water treatment system, including an ultraviolet filter, resulting in water  that exceeds the drinking water standards required by the World Health Organization.

Components have been designed to withstand the most extreme climates with features such as:

• A hydraulic tilted mast able to withstand strong winds which does not require heavy lifting equipment for each maintenance operation
• Automatic shutters to protect against sandstorms and high densities of dust particles
• A remote monitoring system which enables our technical teams to detect any dysfunctions

There are similar technologies coming online all over the world which extract condensation from the air and convert it into drinking water. Many take on the added functionality of being able to provide drinking water to isolated communities. Technological multi-tasking with a green pedigree – it’s no wonder that last year Eole Water was awarded with a special Jury mention of “Enterprises and Environment Prize” in the category “Innovation in Technology”, organized by the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.

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While temperatures in the Gulf countries may be steadily rising as climate change escalates, it’s always been hot on the peninsula.

Lacking modern conveniences such as air-conditioning, pre-industrial builders devised several ingenious methods to keep building interiors comfortable, many of which were lost to contemporary designers.

Recently that has begun to change.

While using earth construction is still uncommon, studios such as Dom Arquitectura are beginning to incorporate ancient Islamic techniques such as mashrabiya screens, courtyards and plants into modern construction for non-mechanical climate control.

The 4 Houses in Jeddah are arranged around a central courtyard in a fairly uniform pattern mandated by the site’s layout. While the symmetry may appear rather dull, it was important to the design team to not only meet modern aesthetic standards, but also to ensure functional homes with a gentle environmental footprint.

The ground floor zocalo was built with concrete and wood and the floors rise from that foundation in a fairly standard open box style.

Like traditional Islamic buildings, the central courtyard filled with natural light and plants provides natural cooling thanks to cross ventilation; sliding shutters act like a second skin that create a transition zone between the main interior and outside.

The mashrabiya-like wall screens not only provide ventilation, but also views and a sense of privacy. The homes’  lower level walls are particularly well-screened from the outside, while the upper levels are more open.

Saudi Arabia is wealthy enough that its residents still have high standards and there is very little incentive for most citizens to embrace green building, so it is especially rewarding to see such thoughtful design coming from the Gulf country. Hopefully we will see more like it in the coming years.

:: Dom Arquitectura

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Like Foster & Partners and a small but growing handful of other designers, Jean Nouvel looked to ancient Islamic architecture for design techniques that will not only ensure a striking, unique building, but also one that is comfortable – for both the art that will be displayed within and for the people who will flock to see it.

In a nation as hot n’ humid as Abu Dhabi, such a feat is not easy to achieve without costly mechanical intervention. For sure the air-conditioning will be pumping, but Nouvel has borrowed a few culturally-relevant passive design tricks that will at least reduce how much energy will be required to maintain an optimum interior environment.

First and most noticeable is a massive 180 meter diameter dome will cover the entire building. Evocative of the mosque, madrasa and mausoleum, the dome will help to shade the entire building from the sun and provide an overhanging shelter for visitors as well.

Geometric cutouts in the building’s facade produce an innovative portal of diffused daylight without the thermal gain that typically comes with large glass windows. These cutouts are deliberately shaped like palm fronds, which are ubiquitous in Abu Dhabi and used in vernacular architecture to build thatched roofs.

While the first of three art museums slated to be built on Saadiyat Island is certain to require a pile of energy and resources to construct, kudos to Nouvel for making an effort not only to design a structure that celebrates the genius of ancient Islamic builders but also to mitigate its environmental impact just a little bit.

This is Nouvel writes of the design:

“A microclimate is created by drawing on sensations that have been explored countless times in great Arab architecture, which is based on the mastery of light and geometry . . . a structure made up of shadows, of movement and discovery.”

The Louvre Abu Dhabi should be completed by 2015.

:: A/N Blog

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The first team from Israel to participate in a Solar Decathlon competition is comprised of 30 students from four leading higher learning institutes, including Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Shenkar College of Engineering and Design.

For this group, it was important to develop a structure that is relevant to the economic, environmental and social exigencies of the present day, which is why it is especially interesting that the students modeled their concept on a design that the ancient Israelites used.

The “4 Room Israelite House” made use of outdoor areas, such as the roof and the patio, for climate control and social interaction, according to the team’s design brief.

Then, to further enhance the project’s energy efficiency and sustainability, the team incorporated a suite of modern clean tech innovations, many of which were designed and built in Israel.

PV-integrated windows combined with a rooftop photovoltaic array and a solar thermal system will provide the home’s entire energy requirement, and heat water, while a tight envelope will ensure the lowest possible thermal loss.

Passive solar design optimizes solar gain in the winter months and reduces it in the summer to ease the cooling load. Add to this an Israeli-designed night time radiative cooling system, and the small one bedroom unit is designed to be comfortable all year round.

Great emphasis has been placed on the courtyard, which serves multiple functions: ideal for entertaining and leisure time, this space is also used for gardening. An edible wall or vertical garden should provide a decent amount of produce for the occupants, further increasing the project’s overall self-sufficiency.

Constructed with recyclable steel for easy transport, the All [e] Land home by Team Israel will be on permanent display for educational purposes once the competition in China comes to a close.

The competition runs from August 2-13, 2013.

:: Team Israel

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