Abu Dhabi is almost entirely dependent on desalination for its vital water supply. If desalination plants were bombed, the city would have just four days of water. The wealthiest of the United Arab Emirates federation has just begun to build the world’s largest artificial aquifer beneath its scorching sands, at a cost of $436 million, […]
Transplanting seas to inland ocean lakes? A good idea for the Middle East? The two century-old and highly respected Japanese engineering giant Shimizu has hatched a wild and crazy proposal to rehabilitate the desert for human use. Their idea is to move vast amounts of seawater along canals that would track deep into desert landmasses […]
The carbon-neutral Masdar City seems to have been a concept for forever, it seems. In my mind, it has long been filed under “noble theory.” So I was surprised to get an email from Foster+Partners today. The Architects responsible for the Masdar Institute matter-of-factly announced the opening of the first building in the visionary city-to-be […]
A 21st Century Bionic Pioneer, Melissa Sterry talks to Green Prophet about built environments that embrace the volatile new world order. Melissa Sterry makes our spooky future full of increased flooding, stronger hurricanes, and severe drought look like a playground. By applying Resilience Theory, Biomimicry, and Living Architecture principles to every aspect of building, she […]
We’ve heard about peak oil. Ilana asks about “peak Jerusalem stone” – and if it will ever be under threat. My earliest memory of arriving in Jerusalem in 1993 is permeated with a sense of bewilderment. Coming from Queens, New York, everything was strange to me as I stared out the window of a car […]
Traffic fatalities are 5 times the world average at 22,000 deaths a year: It’s time for Iranians to get on their bikes. Iran has the highest rate of traffic accident fatalities in the world – even higher than the United Arab Emirates. While car ownership rates in Iran is less than the western countries, the […]
Mud buildings have withstood the test of time; will they populate our futures too? Think of Islamic mud structures and more than likely the iconic Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali will come to mind. The largest mud brick building in the world, the mosque is considered to be amongst the greatest achievement of Sudano-Swahelian […]
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 […]
Will Abu Dhabi’s citizens choose solar panels for their roofs when electricity prices go up? The residents of the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi, will soon experience three major changes as the Abu Dhabi Distribution Company electricity supplier plans to install a meter for every apartment and a solar panel on every roof, according […]
Though urban density is better for the environment, we don’t have to give up all the benefits of country living (such as locally-grown food) Though we laud the farmers who rough it on the land, grow food that we can buy, and live an interconnected life, city life is more sustainable. But not just any […]
Masdar City has experienced knee-buckling setbacks, but we haven’t heard the last of them just yet Masdar City is hanging on tenterhooks. After questioning the dicey science of carbon credits for big energy companies, we then published assurances by Masdar’s CEO Sultan Al-Jaber that although the project will be delayed because of certain hiccups – not […]
Tehran has bikes routes in place, but people aren’t using them because they’re needed in dense urban cores. We all know about the importance of cycling for health and for creating sustainable cities and communities (like Vauban the German car-less city) that encourage carbon-free transport. Traditionally Iranian cities have had a rich culture of bicycling […]
Green Prophet’s Merhdad, explores some of the “urban” issues in giving the ancient 500 year old Bazaar of Tehran, sustainable by design, a modern facelift. Plans in a new $20 million budget call for bike paths, trams, and a strengthened infrastructure for Tehran’s beating heart. In July 2010, Nader Karami, the mayor of Zone 12 […]
Abu Dhabi’s oil wealth funds energy infrastructure transformation with General Electric at the helm. In 2005, a light bulb went off for GE, which pledged to spend $1.5 billion on alternative technology by 2010. Their Ecomagination department eclipsed that goal in 2009 and has recently committed a further $10billion to the cause. Masdar City in […]