It might seem ironic that the oil-rich Middle East also holds nearly half of the world's renewable energy potential -but last month the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, officially inaugurated Shams 1, the largest concentrated solar power plant (CSP) in the world. The plant was designed and developed by Shams Power Company, and it cost US$ 600 million and took three years to build. It's owned by Masdar, Abengoa Solar and Total. This gargantuan power plant covers almost 2.5 million square meters - the equivalent of about 285 football fields. According to Masdar, it will generate enough electricity to power 20 thousand homes in the United Arab Emirates. It will also displace 175 thousand tons of CO2 per year - the equivalent of planting 1.5 million trees or taking 15 thousand cars off the road. Though Abu Dhabi has made a considerable investment in CSP, key members of Shams Power Company foresee most of the country's renewable energy coming from solar photovoltaic systems to meet its 2020 energy target of producing 7% of its total energy from renewable. This is because photovoltaic systems are cheaper, faster to build and are able to be installed in more locations than CSP systems. It is good to see a region so rich in oil look to grow its renewable energy potential. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar states, "the inauguration of Shams 1 is a breakthrough for renewable energy development in the Middle East. With the demand for energy rising exponentially, the region is undergoing a major transformation in how it generates electricity. In fact, the Middle East is poised for major investments in renewables, and Shams 1 proves the economic and environmental advantage of deploying large-scale solar projects."

The proposed 388-meter, 108-story Australia 108 tower has been given the green light by the Victorian Planning Minister, Matthew Guy. The city council had initially opposed the project because of fears it would overshadow the Shrine of Remembrance, a monument to the World War I dead of the Australian state of Victoria. Australia 108 will feature 600 apartments, the nation's highest hotel and restaurants seemingly floating 84 stories above the city. The 108-storey tower, which will be the 18th-tallest building in the world, is planned to rise near the 297 meters tall Eureka Tower. The new skyscraper designed by Nonda Katsalidis. He explained the Australia 108 will be the most speedily constructed skyscraper and could dominate Melbourne's skyline in little more than four years. He also added that during construction will be used prefabricated structural sections. Currently the tallest skyscraper of southern hemisphere is Q1 Tower. The 323 meters tall skyscraper put into operation in 2005 again in Australia. The tallest skyscraper in Melbourne is Eureka Tower, which is 297 meters tall.

Whenever Dubai thinks of doing something it definitely believes in doing it big and doing it beautifully different. And this time, Dubai has opened gates for the world's most beautiful garden, "Dubai Miracle Garden". The world's largest flower park - Dubai Miracle Garden total area of over 70 thousand square meters and a length of footpath 4 kilometers includes special vertical and horizontal landscaping designs, each area has special design. The park has collected more than 45 million flowers of 45 varieties, many of which first brought the Presian Gulf. Park has already been informally as "an oasis of color" because in its territory are the flowers of 60 different colors. One of the most notable pieces in the park was created from flowers portrait of the founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed ben Sultan Al Nahyan, surrounded by seven huge hearts, symbolizing the seven emirates. Park expects to win the world famous for its "flower pyramid" height of 10 meters and an area of 144 square meters, as well as a wall of flowers with height of 3 meters surrounding a park. It is currently batting for a Guinness Record for the world's longest flower wall with a one-km circumference. A second phase of the project is set to see new retail, restaurants, souvenir shops, plant nurseries and a multi-storey car park and work will start on site in the middle of the year.

The builder of The Shard skyscraper in London will be the project manager for the planned US$ 1.2 billion, 1000 meters-tall Kingdom Tower skyscraper in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Mace will manage the development in a joint venture with construction consultant EC Harris, part of Dutch group Arcadis, and the tower will be built by Saudi construction firm Bin Laden Group. The project was unveiled by American firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. The tower's height is planned at almost three times the height of the Shard (at 310 meters), although by precisely how much is a secret. The structure will take over from Dubai's 828-metre Burj Khalifa as the world's tallest skyscraper. Plans were unveiled 18 months ago by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal as the centerpiece to the Kingdom City development in Jeddah, a major Red Sea port. With a total construction area of more than 500 thousand square meters, the Kingdom tower will include a five-star hotel, luxury flats, office space and the world's highest observatory, with breathtaking views of the Red Sea and the al-Sawarat mountains to the east. The Saudi Bin Laden group will begin construction later this year and the project should be completed in winter 2018. The proposals for the 1050 meters tall Azerbaijan Tower, for the 838-meter Sky City in Changsha , and Karachi Tower have also claimed the distinction of the world's next tallest building.

UAE's Abu Dhabi Group and Pakistani real estate tycoon Malik Riaz signed a deal to invest US$ 45 billion in Pakistan including building the world's tallest building in Karachi. Under the agreement US$45 billion would be invested in Pakistan for various construction projects. Out of the total investment, US$ 10 billion would be invested in Islamabad and Lahore whereas the remaining sum would be invested in Sindh. These projects also include the construction of tallest building of the world (taller than BurjKhalifa, Dubai) in Karachi. Moreover, the project encompasses Sports city, Educational and Medical City, International City and Media City. The project also includes the construction of miniatures of Seven Wonders of the World. These projects will employ more than 2.5 million people and will boost more than 55 industries like cement, bricks, iron, steel and glass. These projects also are expected to represent all the social classes of the society and middle-class and lower-middle class will have equal representation. A distinguished feature of this project is the utilization of seawater to produce electricity. The projects will have their own grid stations. Moreover, a separate modern water treatment plant will be established to convert seawater into drinking water. The proposals for the 1000-meter Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, for the 1050 meters tall Azerbaijan Tower and for the 838-meter SkyCity in Changsha have also claimed the distinction of the world's next tallest building.