Latest news with #sustainablearchitecture
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
TBK Developments forms strategic partnerships with global experts
Cairo, Egypt – TBK Developments, the real estate development arm of Tabarak Holding Group, has announced strategic design partnerships with two globally renowned firms specializing in urban planning and sustainable architecture. These collaborations aim to deliver two landmark projects in East and West Cairo, underscoring TBK Developments' commitment to reshaping modern urban living through innovation, integration, and human-centered design. In line with its vision to bring global best practices into the Egyptian market, TBK Developments is partnering with RECS Architects, the Italian firm known for its expertise in smart city planning and community-centric urban design, to lead the master planning of the 'Heliopolis' project in East Cairo. Spanning 240,000 square meters, the project will offer a contemporary urban model that harmonizes modern aesthetics with local character, contributing to the revitalization of one of Cairo's most dynamic districts. In West Cairo, TBK Developments is collaborating with HHCP Design Innovations, a leading U.S.-based architectural firm with over six decades of international experience, to bring to life the 'Sphinx City' project, a major development covering 800 feddans. Known for its future-focused approach to sustainable urbanism, HHCP will help create a next-generation community rooted in smart design, wellness, and environmental balance. These partnerships reflect TBK's strategy to deliver forward-thinking urban destinations that serve both residential and investment aspirations, while reinforcing Egypt's position as a regional leader in sustainable and integrated development. Ali Al Shorbany, Chairman of Tabarak Holding Group and TBK Developments, commented: 'At TBK Developments, we believe real estate excellence goes beyond delivering quality designs — it's about reshaping the very concept of community living. Our vision is to create integrated projects that serve a broad spectrum of needs, from space and lifestyle to long-term investment potential. These global partnerships embody our mission to exchange knowledge and develop urban solutions that enhance Egypt's position on the regional and global development map, particularly amid the country's growing urban expansion in East and West Cairo.' He added: 'At Tabarak Holding, we see development as a long-term responsibility — one that transforms landscapes, creates value, and reflects Egypt's potential as a smart and sustainable regional hub.' Eng. Bassem Al Shorbany, Vice President of Tabarak Holding Group and TBK Developments, also noted: 'These collaborations mark a pivotal milestone in our journey to deliver urban models that reflect the full potential of smart, future-ready communities. We're not just building homes — we're designing ecosystems that integrate green technologies, functional infrastructure, and seamless harmony between living, working, and recreational experiences. This is how we ensure the long-term value of our developments.' Heliopolis: A Mixed-Use Urban Vision. The Heliopolis project will offer a variety of units designed to accommodate diverse lifestyles — from luxurious residential apartments and hotel-style residences to administrative and medical facilities. The masterplan will also feature thoughtfully designed green areas, recreational spaces, and a seamless service network that ensures both residents and visitors experience urban convenience at its best. Sphinx Project in Sphinx City: A Sustainable Living Experience. Sphinx City will embody a holistic living concept inspired by nature, wellness, and openness. Designed around green zones and outdoor accessibility, the project will feature a variety of villa types and premium hotel apartments, complemented by strategically located clubhouses, schools, medical facilities, and recreational zones. Every element has been curated to promote a vibrant, integrated lifestyle from the ground up. About TBK Developments: Founded in 2019, TBK Developments is the newest development arm of Tabarak Holding Group and a rising player in Egypt's real estate sector. The company focuses on creating integrated residential, administrative, and commercial projects that combine aesthetic excellence with sustainability. With a land portfolio exceeding 4.5 million square meters, TBK Developments is committed to meeting diverse customer aspirations while maximizing long-term investment value. Its flagship project, 90 Avenue in New Cairo, exemplifies the company's ethos of delivering world-class living environments built on luxury, comfort, and innovation. About Tabarak Holding Group: Over 47 years, Tabarak Holding Group is one of Egypt's most enduring real estate developers. With a wide portfolio of subsidiaries — including Tabarak International, Tabarak Developments, and TBK Developments — the Group offers integrated real estate solutions across residential, commercial, and tourism sectors. Tabarak's strategic land bank exceeds 4.5 million square meters across prime locations in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Driven by a legacy of quality and sustainability, the Group continues to build future-ready communities while enhancing its regional footprint.
The Herald
20-07-2025
- The Herald
Cavalli Estate's luxury focus echoed in the journey of its wine cellar
Leisure Premium By Sam Venter - 20 July 2025 Where much of the Western Cape's wine tourism offering is centred on centuries of history and heritage, Cavalli Estate in Stellenbosch is a pure 21st century creation designed to showcase excellence in contemporary SA wine, art, design, and cutting-edge sustainable architecture. Within the Stellenbosch golden triangle of superior wine terroir, in the foothills of the Helderberg, Cavalli set out from the start in 2008 to create a world-class lifestyle destination — incorporating newly-planted vineyards and a state-of-the-art cellar, an equally state-of-the-art equestrian training centre, restaurant, art gallery, luxury boutique and venue for weddings and functions...
Malay Mail
17-07-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
How architects are designing schools that beat the heat and keep kids cool
LONDON, July 18 — When prize-winning architect Francis Kere was growing up in Burkina Faso he spent his schooldays in a gloomy classroom that was so stifling he says it would have been better suited to making bread than educating children. Years later, while studying abroad, Kere returned to his home village to build a light and airy school where children could learn in comfort despite temperatures that can hit 45 degrees Celsius (113 F). But the Berlin-based architect did not use aircon. Instead he incorporated a host of cooling features into Gando Primary School that he has since applied to projects across Africa. Kere, who won architecture's highest honour of the Pritzker Prize in 2022, is among architects pioneering sustainable school designs for a warming planet. 'My own school was so hot it was hard to concentrate,' he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. 'So I wanted to build a school that would be comfortable and inspiring for children.' Studies from Brazil to Vietnam show heat significantly impacts learning. In a report last year, the World Bank warned that climate change was threatening educational attainment, creating an 'economic time-bomb'. Experts say classrooms should be no hotter than 26°C. In Gando, villagers were initially shocked when Kere announced he would build the school from clay, but the material is a natural temperature regulator, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night. Concrete and plate-glass may look contemporary, but Kere said they make buildings hot, necessitating air conditioners. This creates a vicious circle. Energy-intensive air conditioners, which expel hot air outdoors, contribute to global warming, which then fuels demand for more aircon. Instead, Kere uses passive cooling techniques. Gando's classrooms have openings at both ends, generating cross-ventilation. An overhanging roof elevated above a perforated lower roof improves air circulation and shades the facade. Gando Primary School, designed by Francis Kéré, features a double roof to keep temperatures cool inside. — Thomson Reuters Foundation pic/Kéré Architecture Handout In Kenya, Kere's design for a college campus was inspired by termite mounds, which use natural ventilation to regulate interior temperatures. Low openings on the buildings suck in fresh air while terracotta-coloured towers let hot air escape. Social change Some 8,000 km (5,000 miles) away in northwest India's Thar desert, temperatures reached 48°C this year. Vegetation is sparse, and sandstorms are common. The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School, a large oval sandstone edifice rising from the Rajasthan desert, was designed by New York architect Diana Kellogg. The building's orientation and shape allow prevailing winds to flow around the school, while lime plaster on the interior walls has an additional cooling effect. Lattice walls, inspired by traditional Indian jali screens, accelerate airflow due to a phenomenon called the Venturi effect. The school also runs off solar power and harvests enough rainwater for its needs. Temperatures inside are up to 10°C cooler than outside, contributing to high attendance, Kellogg said. Like Kere, she believes good architecture can encourage social change. Rajasthan has the lowest female literacy rate in India, but Kellogg said the school's monumental scale sends a strong message about the value of girls. 'It has enhanced their standing in the community,' she said. 'The girls take pride in attending and call it 'The College'. When I visit, the boys say, 'Build one for us'.' Greening schools Even temperate countries are looking at how to cool schools as climate change brings more frequent heatwaves. Girls play in a shaded passage at the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School in Rajasthan, northwest India, designed by New York architect Diana Kellogg. Photo taken 2021 by Vinay Panjwani. — Thomson Reuters Foundation pic/Diana Kellogg Architects Handout Britain has said new school buildings should be future-proofed for a 4°C temperature rise. Its draughty Victorian-era schools with big windows and high ceilings are better suited to heatwaves than newer schools designed to keep heat in. But education does not just happen indoors. Playgrounds are also important for children's development, and many cities are trying to make them greener. Urban areas can be 4°C to 6°C warmer than rural areas, but planting trees reduces temperatures through shading and the release of water vapour. Paris aims to convert all asphalted schoolyards to green oases by 2050. Another solution involves cool paint. While countries like Greece have long painted building roofs white, scientists are now working on high-tech coatings that could potentially outperform air conditioners. Building with clay From geothermal cooling technology to smart glass, engineers are developing increasingly sophisticated systems and products to control temperatures. But German architect Anna Heringer said sustainable architecture means working with local materials. Heringer, who has designed schools from Bangladesh to Ghana, is known for building with mud – 'a low-tech material with high-tech performance. 'If you ask farmers, they will tell you a mud house is cool in summer,' Heringer said, adding that clay balances humidity, which exacerbates physical discomfort in extreme heat and cold. 'Architects often try to be way too technical, but sometimes the solutions are in front of us.' In Tanzania, villagers told her they built concrete homes for status, but went to mud huts to sleep at night. Contrary to popular perception, clay walls do not dissolve in the rain, Heringer said. There are simple techniques to prevent erosion, and a natural crystallization process strengthens the walls over time. 'Clay has been branded as a weak material, but in every culture and climate we have mud buildings that are hundreds of years old,' Heringer said, adding that schools she built 20 years ago have required little maintenance. Some classrooms in her schools have solar-powered fans, but there is no aircon. Not only does it consume energy, but constantly switching between heat and cold can harm children's health, she said. Kere — whose international commissions include Benin's new parliament building and the upcoming Las Vegas Museum of Art — said his studio gets many inquiries about building with clay and passive cooling. 'There's a big shift,' he said. 'This would never have happened just a few years ago.' — Reuters
Japan Times
17-07-2025
- General
- Japan Times
How schools are being built for extreme heat — without air conditioning
When prize-winning architect Francis Kere was growing up in Burkina Faso he spent his schooldays in a gloomy classroom that was so stifling he says it would have been better suited to making bread than educating children. Years later, while studying abroad, Kere returned to his home village to build a light and airy school where children could learn in comfort despite temperatures that can hit 45 degrees Celsius. But the Berlin-based architect did not use air conditioning. Instead he incorporated a host of cooling features into Gando Primary School that he has since applied to projects across Africa. Kere, who in 2022 won the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honor, is among the architects pioneering sustainable school designs for a warming planet. "My own school was so hot it was hard to concentrate," he said. "So I wanted to build a school that would be comfortable and inspiring for children." Studies from Brazil to Vietnam show heat significantly impacts learning. In a report last year, the World Bank warned that climate change was threatening educational attainment, creating an "economic time-bomb." Experts say classrooms should be no hotter than 26 C. In Gando, villagers were initially shocked when Kere announced he would build the school from clay, but the material is a natural temperature regulator, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night. Concrete and plate-glass may look contemporary, but Kere said they make buildings hot, necessitating air conditioners. This creates a vicious circle. Energy-intensive air conditioners, which expel hot air outdoors, contribute to global warming, which then fuels demand for more air conditioning. Instead, Kere uses passive cooling techniques. Students use fans to cool down during a class at a school in Phnom Penh in May last year. | REUTERS Gando's classrooms have openings at both ends, generating cross-ventilation. An overhanging roof elevated above a perforated lower roof improves air circulation and shades the facade. In Kenya, Kere's design for a college campus was inspired by termite mounds, which use natural ventilation to regulate interior temperatures. Low openings on the buildings suck in fresh air while terracotta-colored towers let hot air escape. Social change Some 8,000 kilometers away in northwest India's Thar desert, temperatures reached 48 C this year. Vegetation is sparse, and sandstorms are common. The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School, a large oval sandstone edifice rising from the Rajasthan desert, was designed by New York architect Diana Kellogg. The building's orientation and shape allow prevailing winds to flow around the school, while lime plaster on the interior walls has an additional cooling effect. Lattice walls, inspired by traditional Indian jali screens, accelerate airflow due to a phenomenon called the Venturi effect. The school also runs off solar power and harvests enough rainwater for its needs. Temperatures inside are up to 10 C cooler than outside, contributing to high attendance, Kellogg said. Like Kere, she believes good architecture can encourage social change. Rajasthan has the lowest female literacy rate in India, but Kellogg said the school's monumental scale sends a strong message about the value of girls. "It has enhanced their standing in the community," she said. "The girls take pride in attending and call it 'The College.' When I visit, the boys say, 'Build one for us.'" Greening schools Even temperate countries are looking at how to cool schools as climate change brings more frequent heat waves. Britain has said new school buildings should be future-proofed for a 4 C temperature rise. Its drafty Victorian-era schools with big windows and high ceilings are better suited to heat waves than newer schools designed to keep heat in. But education does not just happen indoors. Playgrounds are also important for children's development, and many cities are trying to make them greener. Urban areas can be 4 C to 6 C warmer than rural areas, but planting trees reduces temperatures through shading and the release of water vapor. Paris aims to convert all asphalted schoolyards to green oases by 2050. Another solution involves cool paint. While countries like Greece have long painted building roofs white, scientists are now working on high-tech coatings that could potentially outperform air conditioners. Building with clay From geothermal cooling technology to smart glass, engineers are developing increasingly sophisticated systems and products to control temperatures. But German architect Anna Heringer said sustainable architecture means working with local materials. Heringer, who has designed schools from Bangladesh to Ghana, is known for building with mud — "a low-tech material with high-tech performance. "If you ask farmers, they will tell you a mud house is cool in summer," Heringer said, adding that clay balances humidity, which exacerbates physical discomfort in extreme heat and cold. Students attend their final exam at the secondary school built by Francis Kere in Gando, Burkina Faso, on June 3, 2022. | REUTERS "Architects often try to be way too technical, but sometimes the solutions are in front of us." In Tanzania, villagers told her they built concrete homes for status, but went to mud huts to sleep at night. Contrary to popular perception, clay walls do not dissolve in the rain, Heringer said. There are simple techniques to prevent erosion, and a natural crystallization process strengthens the walls over time. "Clay has been branded as a weak material, but in every culture and climate we have mud buildings that are hundreds of years old," Heringer said, adding that schools she built 20 years ago have required little maintenance. Some classrooms in her schools have solar-powered fans, but there is no air conditioning. Not only does it consume energy, but constantly switching between heat and cold can harm children's health, she said. Kere — whose international commissions include Benin's new parliament building and the upcoming Las Vegas Museum of Art — said his studio gets many inquiries about building with clay and passive cooling. "There's a big shift," he said. "This would never have happened just a few years ago."
The Herald
16-07-2025
- General
- The Herald
How schools are being built for extreme heat — without aircon
When prize-winning architect Francis Kere was growing up in Burkina Faso he spent his schooldays in a gloomy classroom that was so stifling he says it would have been better suited to making bread than educating children. Years later, while studying abroad, Kere returned to his home village to build a light and airy school where children could learn in comfort despite temperatures that can hit 45°C. But the Berlin-based architect did not use air conditioning. Instead he incorporated a host of cooling features into Gando Primary School that he has since applied to projects around Africa. Kere, who won architecture's highest honour, the Pritzker Prize in 2022, is among architects pioneering sustainable school designs for a warming planet. 'My own school was so hot it was hard to concentrate,' he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. 'So I wanted to build a school that would be comfortable and inspiring for children.' Studies from Brazil to Vietnam show heat significantly affects learning. In a report last year, the World Bank warned climate change was threatening educational attainment, creating an 'economic time bomb'. Experts say classrooms should be no hotter than 26°C. In Gando, villagers were initially shocked when Kere announced he would build the school from clay, but the material is a natural temperature regulator, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night. Concrete and plate glass may look contemporary, but Kere said they make buildings hot, necessitating air conditioners. This creates a vicious circle. Energy-intensive air conditioners, which expel hot air outdoors, contribute to global warming, which then fuels demand for more air conditioning. Instead, Kere uses passive cooling techniques.
