A concrete solution to making greener building materials
Karen Scrivener - The National (UAE) - 08.12.2013
For every 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide that enter the atmosphere due to human activity, one comes from the kilns of cement factories. It is a paradox – concrete is arguably the most sustainable building material known to man, yet...
Venetian archives could turn into the oldest social network
Frederic Kaplan - The National (UAE) - 10.11.2013
Venice was home to the Google of the Middle Ages. The city was run by information hoarders, who for the sake of accountability compiled one of the most extensive archives of the pre-digital age.
Traffic planners should not get bogged down in simulators
Nikolas Geroliminis - The National (UAE) - 20.10.2013
When cities grow, traffic often becomes the default excuse for almost anything. Late for a meeting? Blame traffic. Don’t want to go out? Blame traffic. City planners have several ways out of this problem. They can build their way out, by widening roads or adding alternative routes around...
Power refugee camps and you empower their refugees
Hamed Ziadé - The National (UAE) - 15.09.2013
To refugees living in camps, the importance of light and electricity goes well beyond comfort – it stands for security, health, education and an improved quality of life. Yet nights are often dark in refugee camps around the world, which provide homes to millions…
Insight into coral food sources
Anders Meibom - The National (UAE) - 11.08.2013
Coral reefs are the jungles of our oceans. They are hot spots of biodiversity, breeding grounds for thousands of species and, as divers will attest, some of nature's most fascinating spectacles. They form the backbone of some of the world's most productive fishing grounds and attract...
An international flight that leaves from a train station
Michel Bierlaire - The National (UAE) - 07.07.2013
Could aviation change so radically from the way we know it? History suggests that in the future it will look very much like it does today, with ever larger, faster, and stronger airplanes. While improvements in engines and materials have led to a steady increase in performance… ...
Ancient Arabic architecture may be answer to coping with hot climate
Marilyne Andersen - The National (UAE) - 09.06.2013
When we think of mashrabiya, the elaborately designed screens used in traditional Arabic architecture, modernity is not the first thing that springs to mind. But like other traditional architectural solutions, mashrabiya could help us develop more sustainable ways of dealing with age-old challenges...
Smart plugs will ease risk of blackouts from power surges
Maher Kayal - The National (UAE) - 12.05.2013
What if your home were smart? If it knew what room temperature you liked to wake up to, which lights you dimmed when you watched television, and told you how much power you consumed every day? Technology has permeated our lives via our smartphones, but the buildings we inhabit still feel like...
A solar sandwich for 21st century buildings
Thomas Keller - The National (UAE) - 14.04.2013
Imagine a building that, like a plant, uses its entire surface to capture sunlight and convert it into energy. It’s not an average rectangular building with black solar panels jutting out from the roof; instead, picture an aesthetic, organic structure with solar cells built right into its...
Can rooftop solar power make a difference to the UAE?
Ralf Dyllick-Brenzinger - The National (UAE) - 10.03.2013
Europe has become a world leader in solar-power production, with often-cloudy Germany leading the pack. Essential to that progress have been feed-in tariffs, a mechanism that obliges local utilities to buy locally produced renewable electricity at a predetermined price…
