News Desk: Buildings and Architectures

In Afghanistan, there are many traditions and cultures. For example, a tradition in Afghanistan is that people respect women and close relatives. In addition, young Afghans must respect their parents and elders. Women and men have different roles in Afghanistan. Women are responsible for many things, including household chores. The male's job is to protect the honor of the family. Also, in Afghanistan, the family chooses who their children are going to marry. They usually chose people who were wealthy and had a good status. Families lived in the same walled room, called a kala. When a son or daughter married someone, both of them would live in a room in the same house.
According to Afghan culture, honor has a lot to do with a person's reputation and the people who are friends with them. Honor in Afghanistan is based on the protection of females, education, and the economy. One necessary aspect of the culture in Afghanistan is hospitality. When Afghans greet each other, one person says "Asalamo Alikom" and the other says "Walikom Wa Salam." Also, when two people greet each other, they have a handshake. Afghans also put their right or left over their heart and they nod a little. Women and men are not allowed to shake hands with each other, speak to each other, or have eye contact. The two languages that are spoken in Afghanistan are Pashtu and Dari.

Afghanistan Clothing

Both male and female Afghans have to wear tradition clothing. The traditional clothes that male Afghans have to wear are a Packol(hat), Lungee(turban), and a Chapan(coat). For females, they have to wear a long dress. Some females wear a chador, which is a piece of clothing that covers the head, shoulders, and face, but not the eyes. If the weather is cold, both males and females can wear sweaters, jackets, and coats.

Sports and Traditional Gatherings in Afghanistan

The Vernal Equinox, which means "new day," is on March 21 and it is the most celebrated holiday. During gatherings, poetry is recited. Afghans believe that being able to write and recite poetry is important. In addition, at gatherings, both males and females dance a dance called attan. Afghan weddings are excellent social events and they can last for many days. Afghanistan's national sport is Buzkashi.

April 6, 2009 The winning design from Leeser Architects for this visually stunning five star hotel in Abu Dhabi maximizes the use of natural resources in a spiraling design that makes use of natural light and coastal air along with an exterior clad with polyethylene GROW panels to harness solar and wind power. Poised on the edge of the Persian Gulf, the (aptly named) Helix Hotel will feature a helical floor space which wraps unevenly around a central void. Guests will be able to look up at, and down on, various public areas, including the rooftop deck with a glass-bottomed swimming pool.

There are 208 guest rooms and the hotel will also feature retail, spa and sauna suites. Every guest room has a slightly different view and the spiral design of the building keeps foot traffic flowing nicely. Whilst, the glass-bottomed pool may not appeal to all, (those bathing-suit adjustments could be tricky) the unique building design will no doubt impress many guests. The architects worked with Atelier Ten's environmental design consultants to ensure that the use of natural resources such as sun, wind and water was incorporated into the hotel's design. The interior temperature can be maintained by a retractable glass door which will allow cooling sea breezes to enter the building whilst a waterfall which uses ocean water will also help to keep the interior cool and reduce humidity levels.

The team at Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology (SMIT) designed the GROW panels with the environment in mind. The panels are based around a modular brick system with each brick containing five solar leaves with a flexible piezo generator at the stem. A number of bricks are rolled together with PV and conductive ink. The rolls are layered and then stamped to create leaves and connection point. The leaves are available in a variety of colors and opacities and are 100% recyclable. The various opacities of the leaves can be optimized for their heat gain, light transmission and view.