From luxury architecture in Mecca to the blinged-out buildings of Dubai, it seems that Islamic architecture is all about opulence and grandeur. The bigger and the more lavish- the better but it hasn’t always been like this. In the past, Islamic architecture relied on natural materials and some of the most iconic Islamic buildings were […]
Notice that there are no lush gardens? No towers of glass? This is how to build in the desert. Modern humans have always wanted to make their presence known, from the earliest cave drawings to opulent Ottoman architecture. Although we occupy but one of billions of galaxies, our ego knows no bounds. In the desert, […]
The Al Fahidi Fort is just one historical building in the UAE that would be placed under federal protection if a new architectural law passes Details of past events – notable battles and people – may be recorded in books or passed down through oratory. But buildings such as this sextet of cave homes in […]
Architecturally excellent, the following five projects are also deemed by His Highness Aga Khan to be the most likely to improve quality of life for Muslims throughout the world. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977. Every three years since then, His Highness Aga Khan, the Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili […]
Winner of Chicago-based contest, could this be the world’s greenest mosque? That nature and religion make good green fellows has recently been the source of much media emphasis. Since appealing to the public’s rational mind (the planet is burning up, shouldn’t we adjust our behavior accordingly?) has been wildly ineffective, then perhaps a more God-fearing […]
ECOWEEK is at it again, this time looking for green building solutions to Tantur, a theological school based in Beit Jala. ECOWEEK unites budding, newly-minted, and established architects from around the world to sketch modern solutions to enduring challenges. Earlier this year, ECOWEEK – founded by Elias Messinas, an Israeli-Greek green architect – arranged lectures […]
Global Architecture Development circumvents heat and building codes with this house in Southwest Turkey. There’s all kinds of things you can do with roofs: in the Middle East, we like to party on the roof – that’s for sure, and you can lease it to farmers and electricity generators if you have enough space. You […]
An interview that is supposed to shed light on Masdar’s real progress does little more than reorganize the project’s rhetoric Following a recent New York Times article that at once lauds and mocks the infamous Masdar Project, and a new Masdar Institute student’s claim that she feels like she is “living on a spaceship,” Middle […]
Green Prophet interviews Sarah Kopp about why she built her straw-bale house in Israel.
Glass may be beautiful, but in the Middle East, it’s far from eco-friendly It’s one thing for environmental bloggers to criticize architects or project managers for designing buildings that do nothing to preserve natural resources or inspire beauty in moderation. Foster and Partners, prolific in the Middle East, and just about anything built in Dubai […]
When the controversy subsides and construction begins, “Park 51,” otherwise known as the “Ground Zero Mosque,” will be LEED certified Green mosques are sprouting up all over the world. We brought news of the first eco-mosque in Cambridge, but now in the midst of the chaos and controversy surrounding the Ground Zero Mosque, organizers have […]
Israeli Haim Dotan incorporates the soul of nature into his art and architecture Few things make our green hearts soar more than an architect with a gentle, artistic, nature-loving touch. Although we learned this week that cave homes built into volcanic rock withstood seven centuries of time’s wrath, it is also true that dense urban […]
An ancient vernacular cave home from Iran
Although they only received 2nd place in Turkey’s national design competition, 1/1 Architecture combines “green” with culture in this stunning design True green architecture is rarely an end in itself. Many architects creating ecologically sensitive designs with a view toward sustainability have either a political underpinning, like Omar Yousef’s work, or a social motive, like […]
Palestinian Architect Omar Yousef draws attention to the occupation’s “forced ecology” at the Ecoweek conference in Israel [image taken by Tomer Appelbaum] Designed to teach young architects the most progressive building practices available, beyond borders or cultural differences, the Ecoweek conference taking place in Israel draws inevitable attention to disparities. Green Prophet’s interest in natural […]