Dubai’s Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion has been longlisted in two categories for the 2021 Dezeen Awards.
One of the top attractions at the coming Expo 2020 Dubai, the pavilion made the longlist for the coveted architecture prize in the Sustainable Building and Landscape Project categories.
Designed by Grimshaw Architects, the structure features a 130 metre-wide oval building at its centre, with circular sprout-like solar panels called Energy Trees huddled around it.
The site is fitted with 4,912 solar panels and 18 Energy Trees, generating 4GWh of electricity per year, or as the Expo 2020 Dubai website says, “enough to charge more than 900,000 mobile phones.”
The site also utilises innovative irrigation methods, including a greywater recycling system, aiming to reduce water use in the landscape by 75 per cent.
The structure’s design and function were inspired by natural processes, which was a deciding factor in nominating the site for the Sustainable Building award.
“The relationship of building to the site and its physical and cultural contexts is critical,” the Dezeen Award page explains. “The facility demonstrates a new way of living sustainably in a challenging desert environment.”
The building, which will function as a science centre after Expo 2020 ends, is also in the running for the Landscape Project prize.
Designed by landscape architects desert INK, the site features native and adapted plants with hard landscape materials that are either locally sourced or contain recycled content. An intelligent irrigation system has been installed to supply water only when needed.
A handful of other projects from the region have also been longlisted in the 12 categories of the 2021 Dezeen Awards. These include the Khor Kalba Turtle and Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharjah, which is nominated in the Cultural Building category.
Designed by Hopkins Architects, the site features a cluster of round buildings and is located in one of the most diverse nature reserves in the Gulf. It functions as a sanctuary for rehabilitating turtles and endangered birds.
Seven interconnected pods on the site make up a visitors' centre, which presents a panoramic view of the mangrove forest and distant mountains. The site also features a trail to encourage visitors to explore the reserve’s mangroves and mud flats, which are home to turtles, stingrays, gazelles and the rare Arabian collared kingfisher.
A multi-unit residential building in Kuwait is in the running for the Housing Project prize. Named Project Jade, the building takes the traditional courtyard house concept with mashrabiyas and applies them to an apartment building. Featuring living units designed around green courtyards, the building aims to achieve an optimised balance between privacy and openness.
Seven projects from Iran have also made the Dezeen Awards longlist in various categories. Igol House, a holiday destination in the Igol village for hikers, is nominated in he Rural House category. Inspired by the aesthetics of old Persian gardens, the house features terraces that appear as layered gardens.
The Alibaba Travel Agency headquarters, consisting of 10 industrial sheds, has been longlisted in the Business Building category. Tehran’s Silk Tree Park, designed with spatial guidelines for deaf and hard of hearing people, is longlisted for the Landscape Project category. The other longlisted projects from Iran are Sabzevar Arc House, the Aptus Showroom, the Sharif Office Building, and the Presence of Hormuz 2 buildings.
We’ll have to wait until September to find out which regional projects make the shortlist for the Dezeen Awards. The longlist will be assessed by a jury of leading professionals including Ole Scheeren, Lina Ghotmeh and Hanif Kara.
The 12 winners will then be announced in November. Winning projects will go on to compete for the overall architecture project of the year prize.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey
Directed by: Pete Doctor
Rating: 4 stars
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
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Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
THE POPE'S ITINERARY
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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