The geographically small Israel is making a big statement about the importance of solar energy in the sun-blessed Middle Eastern nation. Recently legislators and environmentalists gathered at the Knesset, Israel's national assembly in Jerusalem, to inaugurate the largest solar field of any parliament in the world (Germany's Bundestag parliament building comes in second followed by Austria's parliament). Nearly 1,500 solar panels placed on the Knesset roof and surrounding buildings nearly 5000 square meters will provide 10 percent of the assembly's electricity with an installed capacity of 450 kW. "What is happening before our very eyes is indeed exciting, a true revolution. It is not just the solar panels; it is the message, the idea, the new path. This is not merely a revolution in energy-saving; it is also a turning point with regards to the environmental awareness revolution that we have been promoting over the past two years," Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said at the dedication ceremony. The solar panels are part of the Green Knesset Project launched in January 2014 that aims to make Israel's parliament building a model of sustainability. Other energy efficiency initiatives include changing overhead lighting to LED, recycling, composting, upgrading the water and air-conditioning systems, installing electric vehicle charging stations and eliminating plastic bottles from committee meetings. Taken together, the sustainability measures are expected to reduce the Knesset's electricity bills by one-third by the end of 2015. This project is the first part of its Green Knesset Project, consisting of 13 advanced projects for saving energy and water. In total, the Knesset has invested US$ 1.8 million in the project. All of the projects that were approved are economically viable, and the project should pay for itself within five years.

A 500 meter loop will be built on the campus of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) followed by a commercial network, according to skyTran, the company that will build it. Two-person vehicles will be suspended from elevated magnetic tracks, as an alternative transport method to congested roads, the firm promised. The system should be up and running by the end of 2015. The firm hopes the test track will prove that the technology works and lead to a commercial version of the network. The plan is to allow passengers to order a vehicle on their smartphone to meet them at a specific station and then head directly to their destination. The vehicles will achieve speeds of up to 70km/h although the commercial rollout is expected to offer much faster vehicles. A number of skyTran projects are planned globally, including in India and the US, but will depend upon the success of the Israeli pilot. SkyTran, based at the Nasa research park in California, hopes to revolutionize public transport. Chief executive Jerry Sanders described the agreement to build a test track with IAI as a "breakthrough" for the project. Joe Dignan, an independent smart city expert, said the system represented "a hybrid between existing infrastructure and autonomous vehicles". "It will get the market in the mood for autonomous vehicles - it is not too scary, is cheaper than building out a train line and uses part of the urban landscape, 20 feet above ground, that isn't currently used."

Israel is blessed with abundant sunshine and has long been a pioneer in solar energy. With construction starting in early 2014 on a 121 Megawatt solar power station, the country will be taking a big step in achieving its goal of producing 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. The Ashalim power plant will be located in the Negev desert near Kibbutz Ashalim south of the city of Be'er Sheva, and when it's completed in 2016 it will be the biggest solar power station in Israel with enough capacity to power 40 thousand homes. The new solar station is being developed by Megalim Solar Power - a joint venture between U.S. based solar power company Brightsource Energy and French power and transport company Alstom. Brightsource originally started in Israel as a company called Luz, so the Ashalim power plant will be a homecoming of sorts. In addition to breaking ground on the US$ 1.1 billion solar thermal plant in Israel, Brightsource is developing the world's largest solar thermal plant - a 377 Megawatt solar farm in California's Mojave desert called Ivanpah. Brightsource solar thermal plants deploy heliostat mirrors that direct sunlight to solar power towers that create steam to drive turbines. The BrightSource-Alstom Megalim plant is one of three projects at the Ashalim site, which will generate 250 MW of electricity at full capacity - that's enough to cover 2.5 percent of Israeli energy consumption. When all three projects are online, Ashalim will become the fifth largest solar power station in the world.

Living big in 40 square meters of space takes some creative planning and ingenious space-saving design, and this small apartment in Tel Aviv is a great example. Israel-based SFARO turned a cramped space into one that feels like a never-ending roundabout. By moving all the main utilities, storage and programmatic units into a central cube, the apartment is now a one-bedroom space with excellent circulation and lots of light. Housing prices in Tel Aviv have soared in recent years and many people are unable to afford moving, but still want to upgrade or improve their space. As a result, many have resorted to remodeling their spaces, no matter how small. The owner of this small apartment decided to transform her cramped studio space into a more luxurious 1 bedroom that also included storage units, a large separate kitchen and a full size queen bedroom. SFARO completely transformed the long narrow 40 square meters apartment by gutting the space and creating a new circulation. They moved the utilities, kitchen, bathroom, storage and other programmatic areas into a central multi-functional cube. Now there are four distinct zones around the cube: hallway, living room, long galley kitchen, and bedroom. Sliding doors store away into the cube and allow the owner to open or close spaces depending on the time of day, guests or needs. Built-in storage keeps items neatly packed away and bright white finishes help bounce light around to make the space seem much larger.

Azrieli Group controlling shareholder David Azrieli laid the foundation stone on March 25 for the US$ 400 million Sarona Center, a single 200-meter, 50-story building in Tel Aviv's nascent southern Kirya business district, reported The Jerusalem Post. Azrieli Sarona will become Israel's largest office tower upon its scheduled completion in 2016, offering 125 thousand square meters of working space, a three-story, 11 thousand square meters mall and a seven-story underground parking lot for 1.6 thousand vehicles. It will be the country's second-tallest building, behind Ramat Gan's 244-meter, 68-story, multipurpose Moshe Aviv Tower. Azrieli Group purchased the land from the Israel Lands Authority for US$ 140 million last year. The building will be constructed at the eastern end of the Sarona compound near Menachem Begin Road and Kaplan Street, almost diagonally opposite the three existing Azrieli towers. Architect Moshe Zur teamed up with David Azrieli Architects Firm to design the building, using simple geometry to produce the effect that the entire building is facing the sea, which lies almost 3 kilometers to the west.