
Ecumene Studio
Architects bring sustainable construction to public spaces in Egypt, Tunisia and beyond
Cairo-based Ecumene Studio is an international design cooperative that wants to make urban centers more liveable for vulnerable communities.
Cairo-based Ecumene Studio is an international design cooperative that wants to make urban centers more liveable for vulnerable communities.
“I used to volunteer for student activities and community development initiatives, but I have always thought that we, as engineers, should be supporting unprivileged communities with our knowledge,” Radwa Rostom says.
Palestine Green Building Council is what the organization is called and they managed to earn the licensing for green buildings in 2011, Environmental Projects Coordinator, Haneen Sharif says.
Through starting his own business, TRI Lebanon, Moughayar uses a technique called “thermal bonding”, a process that heats fibers then cools them to solidify the bonding.
Through their initiative Re-Build, Coraline Rasset can upcycle some of this waste into building blocks very similar to traditional concrete blocks, but without having to use chemicals.
Engineer Saleh is a bright young Architect, who has graduated from the University of Jordan in 2009. He did not like the idea that building accounts for a large amount of CO2 emissions in the world.
In Algeria, one man has figured out how to combine the modern and the traditional; cutting-edge innovation and ancient craftsmanship.
Five years ago, Abdel Samad approached a school in Cairo, and together, they built a rooftop garden. And in the years since, it’s blossomed far more than he would have ever imagined.
Seventy percent of coastal infrastructure is concrete-based. But traditional concrete comes at a high cost – both environmentally and financially.
To create his structures, he recycles materials readily available in the camp: plastic bottles, which he then fills with sand.
Two students adopted the idea of making floor tiles from plastic waste and using less cement - Zelij was their initiative.
Shtayya Architecture & Sustainability is Palestine’s first to focus on sustainable architecture and engineering, which was founded Ahmad Shtayya.