Dubai - "The curators' original research reflects the UAE's national spirit of innovation and creativity.
"What happens with desalination is that the residual brine gets thrown back into the gulf, causing salinity levels to rise drastically and proving fatal to marine and coral life," said Wael.
Wael and his team worked with universities in the UAE and Tokyo to develop a magnesium-based cement from the brine instead, that they then cast into blocks and set in a carbon dioxide chamber to cure.
The resulting precast blocks - which are equivalent in scale, cost and strength to Portland cement - can "absolutely" be used to construct buildings in the UAE, said Wael.
However, he added, if they wanted this to be a true contender to Portland cement and impact climate change, they would need to further improve the casting methodology.
Wael and Teramoto will be presenting their experimental solution at the 2021 Venice Biennale as curators of the National Pavilion UAE.
Laila Binbrek, Coordinating Director National Pavilion UAE, said: "Protecting our environment for future generations is a collective responsibility, and we know that the construction industry has a significant impact on the natural world.
"The curators' original research reflects the UAE's national spirit of innovation and creativity, and we are very proud that their exhibition will demonstrate the significant contribution that the UAE is able to make to the global climate change crisis."
Wael said he doesn't believe the world is taking sustainable architecture seriously enough, but is thankful for the UAE's continued commitment to sustainable solutions.
"Very few countries are sticking to their pledge to reduce carbon dioxide emissions," he said. "I believe the UAE is one country that is seriously self-reflecting and trying to be proactive in recognising that there is problem and finding a solution to it."
karen@khaleejtimes.com
Karen Ann Monsy is Associate Editor, overseeing digital operations in the newsroom. She sees the world through headlines and SEO keywords - and loves building people and teams.