Kuwaiti graphic designer Mohammad Sharaf serves up powerful pictures based on current events, salted with modern Middle Eastern humor and instantly provocative. Take a look at his image of a veiled woman on a bike with a man riding behind her, a reference to the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Vice’s recent decision to allow women to drive motorcycles as long as they were accompanied by a male guardian.

“I read about the announcement in a newspaper and couldn’t believe it.  I thought it was really funny and far-fetched so I decided to create this artwork,” he told the Saudi Gazette.  Titled “Allowed”, the artwork created a buzz on social media sites and attracted international press attention.

His stark image of a pair of covered women, designed to commemorate International Women’s Day (a global event  to incite gender equality) invites wide interpretation.

Anais Nin nailed it when she quipped, “We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.”

Sharaf’s father was an avid artist, their home filled with paintings and the tools of the trade. With his dad as teacher, he started painting at an early stage.

When Sharaf was seven years old, his father was banned from exhibiting his political paintings at local art shows.  Disillusioned, the elder Sharaf stopped all artistic activities, including lessons to his son. The theme of censorship arises in another of the artist’s posters, see below.

“I always make sure that my artwork touches very basic audience members, in addition to the sophisticated ones,” he said.

Sharaf’s political and social artwork relies on simple backgrounds and uses of a limited color range, most commonly black, white, and red.

“I developed my style from different artists such as Emil Ruder and Reza Abedini,” he writes. “As for colors, I try to link to the Russian propaganda and Constructivism art movement. Their posters were critical of the system and politics in a unique way. They were bold, funny and social. They were direct and indirect. They used very limited number of colors and cheap materials because of their poor economic status. I mix all.”

He’s passionate for Arabic calligraphy, and it’s a recurring feature of his work.

An art school teacher inspired him to create political and social artwork. Urging that an artist should be an active member of society, she kickstarted his creation of posters highlighting local and regional issues.

Over the years, Sharaf has witnessed radical change in the Gulf art scene. Young people are more enthused and interested in art and design, and dozens of galleries have opened.  Artists are taking risks, and making bolder statements against the status quo.

After “Allowed,” Sharaf was contacted by organizations wanting to republish his artwork. His work appeared in German news magazine, Der Spiegel. “I was contacted by a German bicycle museum to have it showcased there and also an NGO from Finland to have the illustration on a book they will be publishing soon.

Word of mouth is helping him gain an audience,  He established Sharaf Inc., his own art studio, and is currently selling his images on t-shirts, with future plans to sell prints and paintings.

He says, “For me, I think that the best reward ever is to see my work published and being distributed all over the world.”

Images via Mohammad Sharaf’s website

Tel Aviv’s Nir Meiri recently unveiled Marine Light – a curious lamp shade made entirely of seaweed wrapped around a spindly metal frame.

Eaten by coastal people all over the world and prized for its gelatinous and nutritional properties (see bottled algae superfood), and its use is being investigated for seaweed as biofuel, marine algae is harvested for everything from dental moulds and wound dressings to deserts.

But we’ve never seen a seaweed lamp shade before.

“Ancient cultures have appreciated and utilized seaweeds for different uses,” Meiri says on his website.”Today, seaweeds are cultivated and harvested on a commercial scale, as a result of a growing interest driven by environmental concerns.”Meiri encloses the shade’s metal frame with seaweed that is still wet, according to the designer. Then, once it dries, the marine algae shrivels down and conforms to the shade’s shape. Once dry, Meiri applies a preservative to the seaweed so that it doesn’t completely rot or flake off; the resulting lamp shade produces a luminescent glow that brings the sea indoors.

“Through the unconventional use of seaweed as a main material for a domestic environment, the product plays on the tension between the artistic and the commercial,” says Meiri.

Materially, the Marine Light is a sensible environmental choice as well since there are no algae shortages in the world and it reproduces very quickly.

This is the second funky lamp we’ve featured this week. If you haven’t already seen it, check out this clever lamp powered by the kinetic energy of shifting sands.

:: Gizmag

“So this is really a moment for human awareness,” he said, “just like passing a 50th birthday.”

“This is a point to think about where we are in the course of the rise of carbon dioxide. It feels a little bit like we’re moving into another era, in that somehow between 350 and 400 parts per million feels like a certain kind of range of CO2, and now we’re moving into a different range.”

He said that in order to keep levels from surpassing 400ppm, we would have to reduce fossil fuel consumption by up to 60 percent, right now, something that is essentially not going to happen.

Not only would it be virtually impossible to get the whole planet behind the idea, it would be financially crippling.

As a result, we are on track to reach 450ppm in the next 20 to 25 years and further exponential escalations thereafter.

Keeling estimates that the earth’s CO2 concentration last reached 400ppm between two and four million years ago during the mid-Pliocene era.

Combining methane and other heat-trapping gases with CO2 emissions, Keeling told Yale Environment 360 that we are probably going to double pre-industrial levels of greenhouse gas concentrations by the middle of this century.

Reluctant to present himself as a problem solver, Keeling suggests that adopting more fossil fuels and eliminating unrealistically low energy prices might take us one step closer to averting the worst.

:: The Guardian

Image of dead tree trunks, Shutterstock

How can change occur if we’re not free to write about sensitive issues like human rights and the environment?

According to the 2012 census by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), there are 232 journalists in prisons worldwide, over half being held in the Middle East, the most of them surprisingly in Turkey.

Bahrain = 1           Saudi Arabia = 4               Israel and Occupied Palestine = 3           Iran = 45          Syria = 15               Yemen = 1             Uzbekistan = 4                 Kyrgyzstan = 1                                               Iraq = 1             Turkey = 49

Read about this region’s biggest muzzlers of free expression, below:

1. Turkey

The world’s most repressive country is showcase Muslim democracy and NATO darling, Turkey.

A New Yorker article published last year stated, “According to the Journalists Union of Turkey, 94 reporters are currently imprisoned for doing their jobs. More than half are members of the Kurdish minority, which has been seeking greater freedoms since the Turkish republic was founded, in 1923.”

CPJ’s 2012 census counted 49 jailed reporters, but The Friends of Ahmet Sik and Nedim Sener (named after two imprisoned writers) maintains a list of 104 journalists currently imprisoned there.  Another 800 face charges, and scores more have left their jobs because of government pressure.

“The government wants to set an example; it wants to intimidate,” investigative journalist Ertugrul Mavioglu told The Guardian. “Journalists are being told, ‘There are limits on what you are allowed to say.’”

Andrew Gardner, Turkey specialist at Amnesty International, added, “This prosecution forms a pattern where critical writing, political speeches and participation at peaceful demonstrations are used as evidence of terrorism offenses.”

Attorney Meral Danis Bektas said Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, openly threatened journalists and dictated what they wrote. Bektas said: “All of the defendants stand trial for doing their jobs. Free press and freedom of expression are cornerstones of democracy. Without them, democratic political participation becomes impossible.”

The government denies the journalists were arrested for their work as members of the press, instead citing terrorist offenses.

2. Iran

Iran earns the silver medal for jailed journalists, with 45 behind bars as of December 2012.

The government controls all television and radio broadcasting, banning coverage critical of specific topics and events including national nuclear policy and the economy.

Internet access is skyrocketing, but content is restricted and censored and users risk persecution for online activity.

Social media (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) was blocked following the 2009 election and the number of disabled political sites grows exponentially. A 2010 Computer Crimes Law legalizes government internet surveillance and criminalizes online expression.

Cybercafes are obliged to record customers’ personal data and browsing histories. Last year, a national intranet was finalized, aimed at cutting Iranians’ connection to the worldwide web.

In 2012, Iran banned 250 ”subversive” books and closed the professional association “House of Cinema” that supported 5,000 Iranian filmmakers and artists. Don’t count on reading Lolita in Tehran, and forget about seeing the movie.

3. Syria

Journalists receive reporting licenses at the pleasure of the prime minister. According to the CPJ, 28 licensed writers were killed in 2012 and 15 more were incarcerated by the end of that year.

Syria’s 2001 Press Law gives the state full control over all print media.  It forbids reporting on issues of national security and allows the state to determine whether information is factual or not.  Violate the law and face up to three years in prison with fines reaching $20,000.

The 2011 Media Law guarantees the “right to access information about public affairs” and bans “the arrest, questioning, or searching of journalists”, yet ironically bars publication of content that affects national unity and security, and incites public unrest.  Guess who makes the determination?

Image of Turkish protestor under arrest by Sadik Gulec/Shutterstock.com

The latest in a string of improbable Dubai attractions, the Chillout Cafe offers hot drinks and food in sub-zero temperatures.

Everything inside the Chillout Lounge is made from ice, including the picture frames and curtains, according to the Daily Star.

The tables, lighting fixtures, bar tops are all carved out of giant blocks of ice, while seating areas are, thankfully, covered in fur.

Guests who step out of the outdoors, which easily reach 40C in peak summer, are equipped with designer parkas, boots and hats to keep them warm inside, where temperatures hover at -6C.

They’re given one hot beverage and can order from a small menu which helpfully includes an “eco-friendly sandwich.”

A newly wedded man, a Saudi travel agent, told the paper that the Chillout Lounge was the first stop on his honeymoon trip.

It costs $17 for a recommended 40 minute visit, which comes with the necessary winter gear and one hot beverage served in an ice vessel! Meals are extra.

Like the indoor ski slope, which is home to a colony of penguins, an ice lounge in the middle of the desert must involve an exorbitant energy expenditure, even if attractions like these boost the local economy.

:: Daily Star

al-Shehi’s idea is simple: take airborne moisture and turn it into clean water that is potable and healthy.

For the 31-year-old from Abu Dhabi, who is also involved in creating a green car wash hopes to grab rainwater or dew and then it can be adapted to “float or rest on a body of water above the water.”

In an interview with Khaleej Times, he talked about the massive energy cost as well as economic needs to have desalination projects across the UAE to turn sea water into drinking water.

“The cost involved with desalination is huge as it requires energy. ‘Alma’ can help reduce the cost drastically. An Alma would take up to 20 square miles and it can collect up to 253.6 million liters a month, serving many households in the UAE,” he told the newspaper.

Al-ma means “water” in Arabic.

The Alma invention also comes on the heels of a number of clean water projects in the UAE and according to experts Green Prophet spoke to, Shehi’s mechanism could be a boost for the region as water issues continue to rise and create tension between countries.

The Alma was patented in the United Kingdom via IP Consult, and according to the patent document, “can be anchored to collect airborne moisture such as rain water, dew or mist over water bodies such as seas or lakes. The water thus collected is pure and does not require desalination for commercial usage.”

This was the second time he attempted to have the idea patented, failing in August 2011, but successful this time around.

The patent number in is GB 2493699A.

“This is a unique invention with great potential for countries with poor water resources like the UAE or other regional countries. I am planning to seek investors to commercialize this invention and market it to countries that can benefit from it. As an initial step, we will seek to present it soon to environmental bodies,” Shehi said.

According to the newspaper, he is a trained electrical and electronics engineer with a degree from Huddersfield University in West Yorkshire.

The nominees for the 2013 Aga Khan Award for Architecture were recently announced: 20 candidates – half hailing from the Middle East – all vying for a million dollar prize. The award is given triennially to projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture, planning, historic preservation and landscape architecture, particularly those placed in locales with high Muslim populations.

Chosen projects exhibit subjectively determined “architectural excellence“, and must tangibly improve local quality of life. Special attention is given to designs that use regional resources and to projects likely to inspire similar efforts in other locations.

Check out the map of this year’s projects:

Ten of the nominees are planted in the Middle East, and while traditions of Islamic form and function persist, styles of this year’s finalists are all over the drawing board.

Sleek apartments in Iran; a medley of schools in Damascus, Herat and Kigali; a Moroccan bridge and a reconstructed refugee camp in Lebanon all won a nod from a judging panel of architects and scholars.

The “class of 2013″ blows fresh air in the Euro-centric world of modern design.  There’s not a single world-record-grabber, and a blessed scarcity of steel and glass curtainwall.

Take, as example, a primary school in Herat, Afghanistan (images above and below). Built in honor of Italian journalist Maria Grazia Cutuli, who was murdered in Afghanistan in 2001, this school represents an alternative approach to school design in areas devastated by war.

The layout was inspired by the organic form of local villages: an assortment of independent elements enclosed by a boundary wall. It contains 8 classrooms, staff accommodation, a double-height library and a garden which serves as an open-air classroom.

The reinforced concrete structures are clad in local brick, and painted (instead of plastered) to save costs. The walls wear a vibrant range of three blue tones, reflecting traditional Afghan lapis lazuli, the pigment used on local pottery. The soaring library is the only aspect of the compound visible above its perimeter wall, and it’s open to all villagers as both a means of counterbalancing Taliban destruction of Afghan’s larger libraries and inciting local support for the school.

Since the Award began in 1977, over 100 projects have been recognized from a roster of nearly 8,000 contenders.

Projects are undergoing technically review by a select group of architects, urban planners and engineers and a Master Jury will select up to six finalists to be announced at a ceremony in Lisbon next September.

Stay tuned for more coverage of these sensitive and sensational projects. See architecture dismounted from its high horse. This is good stuff.

Image of Maria Grazia Cutuli Primary School  from Aga Khan Development Network

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently issued a report calling for wider uptake of insect for food and feed. Citing benefits such as quality nutrition, fast reproduction and even low greenhouse gas emissions, the FAO suggests that the food industry should add insects to restaurant menus to help overcome western aversion to eating them.

Although most westerners would turn their nose up to a dish of fried beetles, two billion people around the globe currently consume insects as part of their daily diet, according to the UN FAO report.

Still, the UN considers edible insects to be an excellent but poorly utilized food source that suffers from undue discrimination in certain countries.

Rich in minerals, fats, and protein, insects also reproduce quickly and have high feed to protein conversion rates – 12 times higher than cattle for the same amount of protein, for example.

And whereas livestock are responsible for a dangerous level of greenhouse gas emissions, insects are said to emit less ammonia. In other words, insects are not only a good source of nutrition, but eating them is a smarter environmental choice for a planet in crisis.

The FAO also suggests that insects are a “promising alternative” for livestock feed.

“Nevertheless, a tremendous amount of work still needs to be done by a wide range of stakeholders over many years to fully realize the potential that insects offer for food and feed security,” the report’s authors note.

The food industry could help by adding more tasty insects to recipes in order to mitigate the “eww” factor, while a dedicated education program should focus on both the nutritional and environmental benefits of incorporating edible insects into more diets.

“Additionally, insect rearing should be promoted and encouraged as a socially inclusive activity. Rearing insects requires minimal technical knowledge and capital investment and, since it does not require access to or ownership of land, lies within the reach of even the poorest and most vulnerable members of society,” the report adds.

“In the future, as the prices of conventional animal proteins increase, insects may well become a cheaper source of protein than conventionally produced meat and ocean- caught fish. For this to occur, there will need to be significant technological innovation, changes in consumer preferences, insect-encompassing food and feed legislation, and more sustainable food production.”

Image of insect dish, Shutterstock

Watch The Guardian’s recording of Nemat Shafik’s presentation in Washington D.C. for an illuminating look at how energy subsidies are linked to both climate change and public debt.

Shafik estimates that cutting subsidies could reduce global carbon emissions by as much as 4.5 billion tons or 13 percent of the current output.

In the Middle East, Iran has cut subsidies without any major consequences, which has eased its financial burden. But for most leaders in the Gulf region and North Africa, energy subsidies are a hot political topic best avoided.

Citizens of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere are so accustomed to receiving their energy for next to nothing, their leaders worry that cutting them could destabilize a fragile peace.

Yet subsidies distort the value of energy and few incentives exist to conserve it. This in turn leads to increased carbon emissions and forces governments to increase their fuel generation.

Jordan lifted subsidies last year but the Hashemite Kingdom’s residents did not respond well. More than 1,000 people descended upon Amman protesting increased fuel prices, according to Reuters.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said on state television that the Kingdom faces insolvency and that price hikes are unavoidable.

Speaking at a press conference in Jordan earlier this year, Shafik said that the government put in place a cash transfer scheme that helped to ease the transition for 70 percent of the population.

“So the only people who actually pay the full price are the top 30 percent in Jordan. I think that is a good strategy,” Shafik said.

:: The Guardian

Albeit the third largest OPEC oil producer, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the country could face its first deficit as soon as 2017; which may explain why they have suddenly stepped up their game.

In January, the Kuwait Institute for Science Research (KISR) published its first renewable energy plan for 2030, according to CSP Today. In it they outline their goals for the next couple of decades.

By 2015, hope to cover at least one percent of their domestic energy requirement with renewable energy, 10 percent by 2020 and 15% by 2030.

Albeit trailing the United Arab Emirates, which has recently opened the world’s largest CSP plant – Shams1 – several plans are underway, including a hybrid plant similar to Kuraymat in Egypt, and a 70MW renewable energy complex.

Japan’s Toyota Tsusho Corporation completed a feasibility study for the Al Abdaliya Solar Plant in 2012. Once complete, the 60 MW parabolic trough solar collector in the Al Abdaliya Desert will be part of a 280 MW Integrated Solar Combined Cycle (ISCC) system that incorporates a gas turbine.

Joint partners Partnership Technical Bureau (PTB) and Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) have announced that they will begin the process this year of seeking project developers to construct the $720 million plant.

Another 50MW parabolic trough plant will be constructed as part of the 70MW Shagaya Renewable Energy Complex in the north, near Iraq, where weather conditions are thought to be more conducive to such a setup.

“The project has been split into three parts: 10 MW wind energy, 10 MW PV, and 50 MW thermal, equipped with 10-hour energy storage that will let the plant work even after sunset. This is the mix that we hope will perform better under our harsh climatic conditions in the Kuwaiti desert,” Dr. Salem Al Hajraf, KISR’s renewable energy program manager, told CSP Today.

Two German companies have been appointed as consultants for the project. Lahmeyer will act as the main consultant while Fichtner will provide financial assistance.

Since Kuwait is new to the renewables game, they face a steep learning curve, but they’ve got all hands on deck. In addition to inviting more experienced foreign consultants to oversee the transition to a greener economy, skills development is also necessary.

Check out CSP Today for the full analysis.

Image via KISR

And Tangram is leading the way with a design that incorporates ancient Islamic climate controls and biomimicry to keep 80,000 people cool during what will be the Middle East’s first World Cup event.

“We are in a pivotal time now in Qatar as we have nine years left to deliver our construction plans,” Eckersall said at the recent event.

“We must be clever and intelligent to provide sustainable buildings for the next generation and think about the legacy we are going to leave for 2022 and beyond.”

Wrapped in a punctured skin that permits constant air flow, Tangram’s stadium relies on several passive cooling mechanisms that don’t require a watt of conventional energy.

Traditional baghdeer openings combined with Fibonacci logarithms and a cooling technique modeled after desert lizards (which fan themselves using their scales) pushes hot air out of the stadium while keeping cool air inside.

Additionally, using the Venturi effect, the designers propose to hasten air pressure across the colonnades to further promote cooling. These also provide thermal massing.

Lastly, a system of qanats, such as those used by the ancient Persians to transport water from the mountains to dry valleys below, are used to create a shallow pool of water below the stadium in order to provide evaporative cooling.

In this way, Tangram believes they will be able to keep interior temperatures below the so-called Wet Bulb Temperature (WBT) of 26-29C mandated by FIFA.

However, it remains to be seen whether the event will be staged during summer as critics warn that the high heat and humidity could imperil the health of both athletes and spectators.

Michel D’Hooghe, FIFA’s medical chief, has publicly announced his preference for a safer winter World Cup that year.

Meanwhile, with construction and talks about unfair labor laws well underway, Qatar is on track to spend approximately $115 billion to prepare for the event.

:: Inhabitat

But now the government is pushing to harness its ubiquitous wind resource and the 143 MW wind farm in Balıkesir is just the start. Last week energy Minister Taner Yıldız announced the country’s intention to generate a total of 20,000 MW of wind energy by 2023.

The €153 million Bares plant is owned by Enerjisa, a joint venture between Turkey’s Sabancı Holding and Germany’s E.ON, and €135 million was funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), according to Hurriyet Daily.

“Last year when the EBRD invested in this brilliant wind farm, we knew which way the wind was blowing, said EBRD Director for Power and Energy Nandita Parshad.

“The energy that Bares starts producing today can provide clean electricity to about 170,000 households in Turkey, blowing away costly imported resources, enhancing Turkey’s energy security and bringing the country closer to its renewable energy targets.”

Yıldız also chimed in, adding that Turkey’s population growth has thus far outpaced its renewable energy investments.

In order to bridge that gap, the entire energy infrastructure is undergoing a systemic overhaul.

At the commissioning ceremony, Yıldız announced the energy ministry’s plan to denationalize its entire distribution grid in order to pave the way for independent power producers. Tenders for privatization will be finalized around June or July, Hurriyet reports.

Other, smaller scale wind energy projects are in the pipeline as well.

Mini RES, a series of 2.5 MW wind energy plants, will help to pad overall wind generation, bringing the total capacity to 20,000 MW in the next decade, said Sabancı Chairperson Güler Sabancı.

Even so, Turkey is relentless in its pursuit for less responsible energy sources. Despite its vulnerability to earth quakes and resistance from academics and environmentalists, the country just inked a $22 billion deal with Japan to build its second nuclear plant.

And our own Julia Harte is currently charting the numerous environmental and social impacts wrought by the Ilısu Dam on the Tigris River with a National Geographic Young Explorer grant, which is just one of several hydroelectric plants that are wreaking havoc.

Turkey’s energy vision is inspired by desperation and economics, not environmental ethics; even so, we’ll take what we can get and Bares is an important first step toward a more sustainable policy.

:: Hurriyet Daily News

The Middle East and North Africa have faced a number of hurdles in getting what experts believe could be the greatest solar power grid in the world off the ground. From Morocco to Egypt to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), obstacles have continued to stand in the way of creating a grand solar project. Until now.

According to the Climate Investments Funds (CIF), this week they are prepared to deliver $7.6 billion to Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco that would enable the go-ahead to create “an unprecedented 1,120 megawatts (MW) of energy from Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) for the region.”

CIF said it is expected to leverage some $5 billion from donors in addition to $660 million to finance the ambitious project.

It comes as Morocco, home to Desertec – the largest solar power project in the world – faced controversy late last year after European donors failed to show up at an investment meeting aimed to get funding for the project.

In the two years since the beginning of the Arab Spring, CIF says the project has undergone numerous changes to mold itself to the current political and economic environment.

“The revised plan accepted today by the CIF governing body provides a realignment of projects in the pipeline based on each country’s reassessed needs; focuses on well-performing projects as a stronger measure of the plan’s positive impact; and expands the plan’s horizons to also include Concentrated Solar Photovoltaic (CPV) technologies and business models including public sector, public-private partnerships (PPPs), and independent power producers (IPPs),” it said.

The original plan projected a total of 895 MW of power, but with the revision the region now expects to achieve 1.12 GW, making it the most ambitious CSP program in the world. The countries have also agreed to request a smaller funding envelope from the original US $750 million to US $660 million including currently funded projects.

“The changes suggested by the countries in the plan make it a more viable and flexible plan which takes into account the realities each of these countries face,” stated Mafalda Duarte, AfDB coordinator for the Bank’s CIF program.

“We can all look to this revised plan as both a signal of hope for the forward economic and social movement in the region built on renewable energy, and a more realistic blueprint for the evolution of renewables as a potent engine of power globally.”

Experts hope that the new funding won’t find itself struggling like Desertec in Morocco. It saw a number of pull-outs late last year, which Green Prophet reported, including the future of the project as a whole.

Both Bosch and Siemens pulled out, further fanning skepticism. But All Africa reports that despite setbacks, solar energy is safe in Morocco, where the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) has secured $380 million for a 160MW CSP plant planned for the same region set aside for the Ourzazate plant.

With few fossil fuel reserves to call their own, Morocco has long demonstrated its commitment to generating renewable energy.

In 2009 the government unveiled a plan to spend $9 billion on a total of 2 GW of solar energy by 2020, in addition to wind and biofuel projects.

Then in June, 2011, the Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii) signed a cooperation agreement with Masen to start working on projects that would allow Europe to benefit from Morocco’s solar. This agreement would have allowed Morocco to lean on Dii’s networking prowess for help with its own plans.

Given this history, it’s not so surprising that the media panicked when the Desertec initiative took a tumble, but it was premature to underestimate Morocco’s ability to sidestep obstacles in order to meet the country’s rising energy demand.

Now, with the new funding, solar power can finally, or hopefully, be the future that the MENA region believed it would be many years ago.

The theme for this series of photographs is ‘consumption’ and we don’t often think of buildings and city infrastructure as being things we consume, but of course they are.

The functional lifespan may be somewhat longer than a typical take-away meal or cheap item of clothing, but in Dubai, not by very much it would seem.

So the excavated mountainside previously depicted, after a short life as a building, bridge or road, eventually ends up, once again, as a mountain, of sorts.

You can view the site on google earth at 25°10’45.30″N  55°27’22.58″E

Note from the editor: this photograph is part of a series called “Consumption” that seeks to document consumerism’s impact on the environment. From resource extraction and commodity production all the way down the supply chain to retail stores and waste processing facilities, Richard artfully examines what nature has come to mean in a world that depends on buying stuff.

The Berbers were once renowned for their architecture. Having thrived in harsh desert conditions, they knew all about water management, passive solar design, and insulated earth construction.

But modern interventions and globalization have rendered their culture somewhat obsolete and Salima Naji sought to reverse that unfortunate trend.

Not only did she restore two important sites at Agadir of Amtoudi, but she also oversaw the rehabilitation of Qsar Assa and rescued sections of Agadir Ouzrou.

The beautiful stone and earth buildings won’t necessarily resume their former function as warehouses for grain. Instead, they have been revived to honor their former cultural and spiritual significance, and to provide a space for Berbers to reawaken their rich and colorful heritage.

Village squares, public walkways and outdoor theaters have been added to the sites where poetry contents, feasts, and song and dance festivals are held, creating a whole new sense of pride.   

Naji is one of 20 nominees for the 2013 Aga Khan Award for Architecture – a prestigious prize awarded every three years that comes with some serious financial rewards.

While other North African and Middle Eastern countries have watched important historical sites destroyed in the turbulent aftermath of the Arab Spring, Morocco has undertaken a host of preservation projects – including the restoration of synagogues throughout the nation mandated by the King.

There’s a new architectural firm in town and they are laying the groundwork for a more responsible future and it starts now with the new GU Tech in Halban. The first German university on the peninsula, the new campus recently scooped Commercial Project of the Year at Oman’s 2013 Construction Week Awards.

Ernst Hoehler and Muhammad Al Salmy are the progressive brains behind Hoehler & Partner LLC in Oman’s capital Muscat. A team of committed architects, planners and engineers, the firm came to being in 2008 largely as a result of winning the award to design the GU Tech Campus.

Although Oman is not really equipped to incorporate renewable energy into the national grid and has focused very little attention on ecological urban planning, the US and German-educated team are deeply concerned about the nation’s future. After all, one day fossil fuel resources will run out, and future generations will be left to deal with it.

It hasn’t always been this way. As Al Salmy explains to The Times of Oman, Omanis were well versed in sustainable design about 600-700 years ago – as evidenced in various villages carefully constructed to make optimum use of prevailing winds and water resources.

GU Tech comprises the best of ancient Islamic design and contemporary materials to deliver an attractive, energy-efficient space with a decent amount of green space.

A state of the art air-conditioning system redirects cool air to an inner courtyard area, which is chilled a further five degrees by a curious system of sails – perhaps inspired by dhows, and grey water is purified and then used to irrigate the vegetation.

The facade resembles a mashrabiya screen which further mitigates solar gain, and energy efficient lighting conserves energy as well.

In all of their projects Al Salmy Hoehler & Partner LLC strives to make buildings “solar-ready” so that when Oman does implement a national grid that can handle renewable energy generation, these projects can simply plug and go without requiring a major retrofit.

“The nine jurors emphasized in particular the pioneering role of the project in the Sultanate in terms of overtopping the usual local standards with a modern, sustainable and state-of-the-art equipment and design,”  according to the German Emirati Joint Council for Industry & Commerce (AHK).

“They highlighted as well the exemplary implementation of a modern architecture in a design which conveys successfully between traditional Omani architecture and a modern, clear and functional architecture.”

A fine design indeed. More please.

Images via Hoehler & Partner Facebook Page

Like a small hourglass, Trope’s lamps trickle sand through a glass vessel, marking the passage of time. But the kinetic energy generated by the process also generates just enough power to spark an embedded LED light bulb.

Unlike normal lamps that switch on and stay on, unless they are digitally pre-programmed to switch off, these lamps are interactive. Every time the lamp runs out of sand, it is necessary to flip the lamp to start the process again.

In part this helps to generate some awareness of what it takes to keep the lights on, and in a city like New York that never dims, one lamp multiplied can have an incredible cumulative impact.

The four foot Hourglass Floor Table Lamp is suspended and rotates on a hinge that makes it easy to flip when the sand runs out.

The smaller, table version that is designed a little differently to accommodate the light bulb, is nonetheless built with the same principle.

And both are infinitely cool – not just in concept but in execution. Flawless.

:: Inhabitat

Five North African countries and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan will receive a total of $660 million from the $7.6 billion Climate Investment Fund (CIF) under a newly revised plan to construct solar plants and provide assistance that will facilitate easier uptake of further renewable generation in the future.

Revised since the Arab Spring has created new economic priorities and political realities in the region, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia will generate 1,120 megawatts (MW) of concentrated solar power (CSP) under the plan, which was originally approved by CIF in 2009.

Although the number of planned plants has fallen from up to 12 to just five, together they will have more capacity than the original 895MW projected in the initial scheme.

“The changes suggested by the countries in the plan make it a more viable and flexible plan which takes into account the realities each of these countries face,” stated Mafalda Duarte, AfDB coordinator for the Bank’s CIF program.

Morocco has increased its ambitions under the scheme with a plan to build an additional 300MW CSP plant in Ourzazate once the 160MW facility undergoing construction is up and running.

Tunisia, on the other hand, has scaled back on the grounds that it has to focus its finances on more pressing matters.

Egypt will received $123 million to build the 100MW Kom Ombo plant, Jordan will looking into both CSP and CPV with its $50-$100 million chunk of the overall funds, while Algeria and Libya will receive $10 million for “technical assistance.”

“We can all look to this revised plan as both a signal of hope for the forward economic and social movement in the region built on renewable energy, Duarte added, “and a more realistic blueprint for the evolution of renewables as a potent engine of power globally.”

President Mustapha Bakkoury of the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) presented the revised plan to the CIF governing body.

Image of desert flower in Morocco, Shutterstock

Largely considered an environmental “extra” and a way to upgrade green building ratings, new research from Abu Dhabi suggests that building integrated photovoltaics are not just a green luxury item. The recent Middle East-based study found that governments and builders might consider the expense of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) because in hot, sunny regions like the United Arab Emirates, these solar panels can slash energy costs by as much as 33 percent!

And while we root for local companies and suppliers, the best companies up for the challenge of lining the roofs, and sides of buildings with BIPV are companies from Europe, who have experience not only in choosy LEED-loving locations like London, but also with new clients in the Middle East.

The Austrian company ertex solartechnik is one of them. Dieter Moor, the CEO of ertex told Green Prophet (he is pictured below) that they recently completed a BIPV installation in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. The company installed 1030 efficient PV modules with an installed output of 149 kWp for the Sheik Zayad Learning Center at the Al Ain Zoo. The BIPV panels installed on the roof can be seen in the top image.

Dieter Moor walking “on” the roof of the Sheik Zayed Learning Center, inspecting the progress of the installation.

Moor tells us that the heat, the shape of the building and the immense amount of dust on the roof of this structure were challenges for his company to overcome when working with a Middle East client.

Of course creating a solution that needs to be shipped afar was also a challenge, but through working with a colleague who spoke the language and knows the culture, some of the obvious cultural barriers were overcome.

The project now complete and soon to be open to the public involved the redevelopment of the 40-year old Al Ain Zoo. The centre will be an exhibition and exploration of the natural and cultural history of the Arabian deserts, as well as deserts worldwide.

Knowing that dust cleaners would need to be a regular part of panel maintenance (cleaners would need to physically walk on them – could they employ monkeys to the job?), ertex custom-made panels with two layers of special tempered 2 mm glass, and strong enough to withstand 400 kilograms of weight –– which they tested in a lab using “human” boots.

As for the shape, non-functioning panels were put in places where part panels needed to be used.

Thanks in part to the ertex solution the Sheik Zayad building was recently awarded the Five Pearl Rating, the highest of the Estidama Pearl Rating System.

The Estidama system is the LEED for Gulf region countries.

Moor says that, “This building evaluation system is in principle comparable with the Austrian ÖGNI or German DGNB System and refers to the sustainability of the property.

Working with the company Enviromena, ertex had to work around a solution for a complicated building: “Everything was rounded,” Moor says, eventually finding a way to make rectangular panels fit into the undulating curves of the roof.

“Full coverage of the surface of the extraordinary building shape was possible and for architectural reasons, 121 special modules with a combined surface area of 1,140m² were manufactured. Due to the net energy production of circa 239,000kWh through the photovoltaic panels, the high sustainability rating can be maintained in the long run,” he tells us.

Surprise, surprise: lots of radiant sun isn’t always a bonus for BIPV: “High temperatures can have a negative effect on the solar cell semiconductors, making them less efficient,” Moor says.

So far ertex has clients around the globe from the UK (The Peak below was one of their projects), the US, Sudan and Turkmenistan to name a few. Their recently completed project in Abu Dhabi shows that they are ready to open their business doors to more Gulf countries looking to Estidama practices, and joining the global trend of environmental sustainability in buildings.

ertex installs BIPV at The Peak in London. Even odd-shaped PV panels were built to collect power. 

When price is no limit, why not?

ertex installs about 1.1 MW of energy per year, and while “most of our customers don’t care about the return on investment, it´s more a discussion about esthetically integration of PV,” says Moor, money put in on energy saved can be about 20 years.

Efficiency and electricity drops over time, so this is obviously an estimate, Moor, a married father of three, adds.

::ertex

Karin plucks mulberry leaves from her backyard and serves them to her family.

Long ago, mulberry trees were planted all over the Middle East to feed silkworms. The cottage silk industries have died out, but many ancient mulberry trees remain. Strolling with Karin in her garden this week, I remarked that the big mulberry tree there was so loaded with leaves, it was a pity not to eat them. Karin asked for the recipe, and made stuffed mulberry leaves the same night. She reports that the dish was a hit with her family.

Old people, those who keep the tradition alive, may be seen picking the new leaves early in the morning. Dried, the leaves make a pleasant-tasting medicinal tea.  Another way is to stuff them with ground meat while they’re still young and tender. In Israel, the it’s the Iraqi community that still knows to eat mulberry leaves. As they know to eat sour green plums.

At this time of year, the mulberry’s fuzzy, light-green berries are just turning rosy. Wait a few weeks for them to ripen and you’ll be able to eat them right off the tree, or cook them down into jam or chutney.

In traditional Chinese medicine, leaves from the white mulberry are regarded with respect as a medicine. It’s said that the dried, powdered leaves, infused as tea or taken in capsules, lower high blood sugar and high blood pressure. Being full of antioxidants, they also decrease irritation at the cellular level, thus lowering cancer risk. If a mulberry tree lives near you, it might be a wise thing to pick several handfuls of the young leaves and dry them for tea.

Or, as Karin did, stuff them with ground chicken and roll them up like grape leaves. Traditionally, the leaves are stuffed with ground lamb, but any firm meat will do. Yum.

Stuffed Mulberry Leaves

Serves 4 for dinner, or makes 35 appetizers

Pick 40 tender, medium-sized leaves. Rinse the dust off them and check for insects. Dry gently.

Ingredients:

1 kg. ground chicken,  lamb or other firm meat

1 egg, beaten

1 medium onion, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped fine

1 teaspoon fresh oregano or za’atar, chopped fine

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1- 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

juice of 1 large lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

More sliced lemon for serving

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350° F, 190° C.

Mix all ingredients except lemon juice and olive oil. Knead the seasoned meat with your hands to mix everything very well.

Line a baking tray with parchment. Place a leaf shiny side down. Take a tablespoon of meat and roll it into a patty in your palms. Place it on the wide end of the leaf. Add a little more meat if it looks skimpy; pull some out if it looks like too much for the leaf to cover.

Roll it up.The patty will become slightly elongated in rolling. Secure the pointed top with a toothpick if needed.

Mix the lemon juice and olive oil in a little bowl. Drizzle it generously all over the tops of the stuffed leaves.

Bake for 15 minutes if you want them juicy. There will be a certain amount of natural drippings in the pan – pour it into a bowl when you’ve removed the stuffed leaves, and pour it over them.

If you want a crisp wrapping and somewhat drier filling (good for handing around at a party or for a snack), bake 20 minutes.

Serve with sliced lemon for squeezing over the hot or cold leaves.Couscous is nice with these savory little packages. Beer or a chilled white wine are too.

More seasonal foods:

• Great Guacamole
• Scrambled Eggs With Purslane And Feta