المشربية: بين الجمال والوظيفة

تميزت العمارة والفنون الإسلامية بمجموعة من الأساليب والخصائص التصميمية والتي يمكن من خلال دراستها أن تمثل مصدراً لمجموعة من الأسس والقيم التصميمية، وقد كان الفن الإسلامي بطبيعته فناً بيئياً حياتياً يلعب الجمال فيه دوراً بارزاً، حيث تجده في معظم الأحوال مستلهماً من الطبيعة، ومستفيداً من أشكالها، ومحاكياً لعناصرها، بأسلوب تجريدي لتحقيق التطور التصميمي من زخرفة العناصر المعمارية الأساسية والتكميلية التي تؤكد على الطراز الإسلامي. وبالرغم من تنوع الأنماط المعمارية عند المسلمين إلا أن العمارة لم تغفل عن إعطاء البيئة والمحيط القدر الكاف من التميز، مما أتاح المزيد من التجسيد الفعلي لمعاني الإسلام حتى على مستوي الحفاظ على البيئة، ومن الجدير … Continue reading

Green Building Rating Systems in the MENA Countries

Green buildings not only contribute towards a sustainable construction and environment but also bring lots of benefits and advantages to building owners and users. Lower development costs, lower operating costs, increased comforts, healthier indoor environment quality, and enhanced durability and less maintenance costs are hallmarks of a typical green building. A wide range of green building rating and assessment systems are used around the world, including LEED and BREEAM. Sustainability is now a top priority in MENA region and countries like Qatar and UAE have come up with their own green building rating system to incorporate socio-economic, environmental and cultural … Continue reading

Energy Conservation in Mosques: A Guide

A mosque (or masjid) is a place where Muslims worship and offer prayers round the year. In addition, a mosque plays a pivotal role in Islamic communities worldwide. Mosques have a unique operating schedule and are occupied five different times daily for a period of around 30 – 60 minutes for each prayer (this may differ from one mosque to another). For special occasions like Friday Prayers, Eid Prayers and Ramadan nights, people may stay for longer periods in mosques. In recent years, mosques have become big consumers of electricity due to widespread use of air conditioning, hot water systems, … Continue reading

Green Building Sector in the Middle East: Sustainability Perspectives

Green buildings are no longer a marginal concept but are becoming the standard for sustainable building construction and modernization in the Middle East. Forward thinking organizations can realize the benefits of being environmentally aware of the impact of each and every action undertaken in the present world of development. It is no longer about the financial bottom line and whether we are eco-friendly, it is a fundamental component of sustainability. Institutes and organizations in the Middle East can embrace green building initiatives as a mandate, while educational institutes can embrace it as a good citizen initiative developing the minds of … Continue reading

Top 5 Alternatives to Hardwood Flooring

Wood flooring is considered the most cozy, elegant type of flooring out there. Of this type, hardwood flooring is easily the king. Despite its expensive price tag, vulnerability to scratches and moisture, and required maintenance, many still go for this flooring in pursuit of a dream home. The honest reality is that hardwood isn’t ideal if you have a big family and/or indoor pets who can contribute to the wear and tear of your home. In light of that, you must be game for sanding or refinishing every few years. Is the perfect look worth the budget and all the trouble? Maybe not. So, here’s where the alternatives … Continue reading

Humanizing Architecture – Through the Eyes of Abeer Seikaly

Through the jasmine-scented roads of L’weibdeh (Jordan) I navigated my way to Abeer Seikaly’s studio, an old house that resembles Jordan’s genuine and inspiring identity. Abeer Seikaly is a young Jordanian architect who has been featured on several global and local media platforms because of her innovation “Weaving a Home” that was shortlisted for the 2012 Lexus Design Award. Influence of Education and Local Knowledge Top architecture schools in the Arab world are heavily influenced by international trends in built environment and sustainability, and unfortunately Arabic reference material is largely ignored in teaching. The emerging thinking around built environment and its relationship … Continue reading

Green Roofs in MENA – Prospects and Challenges

Green roofs are emerging technologies that can provide a wide range of benefits to communities interested in enhancement and protection of their environment. The major benefits of green roofs are reducing energy use as well as air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing stormwater management and water quality, decreasing heat island effect by regulating temperature for the roof and the surrounding areas and providing aesthetic value and habitats for many species.   According to a 2013 MENA renewable energy status report, the Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES) in Middle East and North Africa has reached about 800 million tons of oil.  This … Continue reading

How are Eco-friendly Properties Revolutionising the Housing Market?

Sustainability has been a rising concern over recent years, and the term has become more familiar as carbon emissions and protecting the environment has soared to the top of people’s agenda. Due to the rising environmental concerns and public awareness, homeowners across the UK are relocating from traditional bricks and mortar to different types of property whereby eco-friendliness is the main concern. Developed using environmentally friendly materials, properties that aim to have a limited effect on the environment are built to be as self-sufficient as possible. Through the use of natural resources such as wind and light, sustainable homes can … Continue reading

ﻤﺒﺎدئ اﻻﺴﺘداﻤﺔ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻌﻤﺎرة اﻟﺘﻘﻠﻴدﻴﺔ اﻹﺴﻼﻤية

تشتمل تعاليم الدين الإسلامي على الكثير من مبادئ الاستدامة التي تداخلت مع التنظيم الإجتماعي والسلوك الإنساني للمجتمع والتي انعكست على النتاج العمراني، والعلم الحديث قادرعلى تطوير قدرات الانسان من أجل استغلال المصادر الطبيعية بشكل يفوق ما حققته العمارة التقليدية، بيد أن ذلك يتطلب تطبيقا منهجيا للعلم ومقارنة شاملة بين الإنشاءات الحديثة والتقليدية، وإحياء المبادئ التي اعتمدت عليها الحلول التقليدية. بغير هذه الطريقة لا يمكن للعمارة الحديثة أن تتفوق بإنجازاتها الإنسانية والبيئية على ما قد أنجزته العمارة التقليدية، حيث أن الوسائل والأفكار المعمارية التقليدية قد تفقد أهميتها مقابل الراحة والسهولة اللتين توفرهما الحلول الميكانيكية، لكنها تسببت بالإستعمال غير المحدود للآلة والذي … Continue reading

Sustainability Principles in Traditional Islamic Architecture

Islam came with many sustainability and environmental conservation principles, which appeared in all aspects of the Islamic society. This green vision of Islam is also reflected in the city planning and traditional architecture. Infact, Islamic cities were shaped by Islamic beliefs on environmental conservation and sustainability. The traditional house adopted in Islamic architecture respects the environment in more ways than one: first by minimizing the impact of harsh natural environment conditions such as hot climate, relative humidity and solar radiation intensity, second by maximizing the potential possibilities of these conditions to achieve the thermal comfort of inhabitants and utilizing the … Continue reading

أنسنة العمارة – بعيون معمارية أردنية

عبر شوارع اللوبيدة (في عمان – الأردن) العابقة برائحة الياسمين، وجدت طريقي إلى ستوديو عبير صيقلي، في منزل قديم يعكس الهوية الأصيلة والملهمة للأردن. عبير صيقلي هي معمارية أردنية شابة برزت مؤخرا على  العديد من المنصات الإعلامية المحلية والعالمية بسبب ابتكارها “حياكة منزل weaving a home” والذي رشح لجائزة LEXUS Design  2012. تأثيرالتعليم والمعرفة المحلية تتأثر افضل كليات الهندسة المعمارية في الوطن العربي الى حد كبير بالتوجهات  العالمية في مجالي البيئة المبنية والاستدامة. ولسوء الحظ فان المراجع العربية مهملة بشكل كبير في عملية التدريس. ان التفكير الحديث حول البيئة المبنية وعلاقتها مع الناس والطبيعة تعتمد بشكل اساسي على التطبيقات الرقمية … Continue reading

Green Building Rating System in Jordan

Building consume 21% of the primary energy and 43% of the electricity generated in Jordan, according to a recent report by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. Efforts started in 2009 to develop a rating system for buildings that will reduce the energy and water demand and provide an efficient and healthier environment. Jordan has several LEED registered buildings since 2009. One of them is LEED Silver and two are LEED Gold, and around 20 more building are registered online and are in the process of applying for LEED. The energy crisis started in Jordan in 2008 after the sharp … Continue reading