Mostly unfazed by global recession, the Arabian Peninsula is leading the world's construction industry with ambitious projects of gargantuan proportions. Gemma Carter takes a look at this thriving region and examines the projects that have got everybody talking: the Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Bridge, which, when completed, will be the longest bridge in the world; Saudi Arabia's six Economic Cities; the zero carbon ‘Masdar City’ and many more.

Despite the economic slowdown, the UAE construction sector remains one of the most active construction markets globally, its status verified in a new report by Dubai-based market analysers Proleads, which forecasts stability returning to the sector this year. Amanda Carey examines the impact this is having on the region's construction plant, machinery, equipment and vehicles sector.

With the UAE becoming the new home to IRENA, now is an ideal time to examine the country's environmental credentials in more detail, with one project in particular coming under the spotlight, namely, Masdar City. Proposed to be the world's first zero carbon city, Eric Payne's article will look at the technology underlying the project, the new innovations that might develop and the potential future the city might usher in.

Simon Davies explores the rise in popularity of 'green' standards such as the Passivhaus, LEED, and the BREEAM assessment, as well as the various design and construction issues involved in attaining such standards, including insulation, sustainable facade engineering, energy saving solutions, district cooling, advanced window technology, space heating, ventilation and the use of some renewable energies, in order to create buildings with a much lower carbon footprint, while maintaining high comfort levels for users.

Self-healing concrete, polymers and fibre-reinforced polymers hold the potential to enable structures to become self-healing, with possible applications in infrastructure, marine and building construction. Linked to this, auto-adaptive media systems could become a great use in the future, with the potential to improve structural safety, serviceability and structural life. Sarah Pursey examines the possibilities.