Will The World be saved? UAE attempts to rescue collapsed real estate market in Dubai. The massive world-shaped islands off the coast of Dubai have been an environmentalist’s nightmare. With little regard to marine ecosystems, and the future impact of these buildings, Dubai ‘s building of The World has been brought to a halt due […]
The 2010 World Future Energy Summit (WFES) is less than three months away; and plans are already underway to ensure that this conference will be even more successful than WFES 2009, which drew more than 18,200 visitors from 84 countries. Hosted by Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Future Energy Company, the main themes of the 2010 Summit […]
Israeli architect Zvika Tamari (of TeaM Architects) recently proposed a conceptual plan for a Globe Ecological Hub in Modiin, a city in the center of Israel between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. What is a Globe Ecological Hub? In Tamari’s conception, it is an organically shaped, grass-roofed eco-dome located in the center of the city and […]
Masdar City, a unique and innovative commercial and residential project underway in Abu Dhabi, is being promoted as the first carbon free community in the world. Begun in 2006, and conceived by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, the entire project will eventually house some 50,000 people and 1.500 businesses supplying environmentally friendly products, the […]
“Jordan needs to develop sustainable or ‘green’ construction practices based on traditional concepts with modern material and practices,” said Jordan’s Princess Sumaya, president of the Royal Scientific Society, at the opening of the two day Think Green 2 in Real Estate Development Conference in Amman on Tuesday, May 26. The country has started with its […]
A week ago England’s Department of Health published practical recommendations to prepare for a potential heatwave which is also the central theme of their 2009 Heatwave Plan. The Heatwave Plan for 2009 has been updated with extra guidance that outlines the benefits of insulating houses to keep them cool during summer months, and warm during […]
Just a few hours after Jews of all stripes gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem to celebrate “Birkat haChama” – the blessing of the sun – Aria Penkava slid a tray of kosher-for-Passover cookies into a solar oven to slow-cook using focused heat energy from the sun. “The sunrise was glorious this morning,” said […]
There’s a phenomenon that’s hit the world, and Israel is no exception: designers, restaurants, grocery stores, companies and architects “in the green know” are talking about sustainability. Gone are the days when a soup company can paint a “recyclable” logo on a tin can and call itself environmentally friendly. Like in America, Israelis too have […]
The Green Building in Manchester’s Macintosh Village. An Israeli version, coming soon? Last month, the Tel Aviv municipality implemented some creative solutions to help solve Israel’s ongoing water crisis. It appears they are not stopping there in their efforts to green the City That Never Stops. Soon, construction will begin on Tel Aviv’s first ecological […]
Green Design – From Theory to Practice (see preview post here), a major international architectural seminar took place this week here in Jerusalem, bringing together leading experts from the worlds of architecture, design, and integrated studies. Despite the recent war in the south, all but one of the international practitioners came, and by doing so, […]
During these tough times in the south of Israel and Gaza, it’s heartening to discover that some events are continuing, and that the determination to green things up, either by accident or design, continues apace. Here at Green Prophet, we’ve kept a keen eye on green design and sustainable architecture, both here and abroad. I […]
If you were going to use one word to describe Israel, the word “construction” would be a definite possibility. Visitors who come to Israel within intervals of only a few years are often shocked at the rapid development in the country. At only 60 years old Israel is constantly building and developing, and sometimes it […]
If you choose to live in the heart of the Negev desert – or any desert for that matter – chances are, you’re pretty in touch with nature. Because you’re surrounded by it. There just aren’t any of the modern distractions that many of us know and love, like movies, frozen yogurt stands, etc. But […]
A bus stop that grows its own foliage as shade? A children’s playground, made entirely from trees? A shelter made from living tree roots that could provide natural protection against earthquakes in California? “Eco-architecture” may sound like a Buck Rogers vision of an ecologically-sustainable future, but that future is now thanks to the guidance of […]
Stay tuned for our future eco-tour of Dubai, but in the meantime let’s take a look at some green goings-on in Dubai. Because we’ve been pleasantly surprised to discover that very interesting things are happening over there. For starters, the Dubai government recently issued a requirement that all buildings in the emirate be constructed with […]