> Sustainable/green architecture in arid zones with a special focus on energy and other resources conservation.

> Energy aspects of skyscraper envelope design in hot, arid climates.

> Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) and Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ).

> Zero Energy Communities.

> Integration and uptake of green technologies.

> Evolution and adaptation of building technology and types, with a special focus on the vernacular and low-cost/low-tech retrofit.

> Proactive contingency planning.

> Alternative information dissemination and education.

Ongoing Research:
•Sustainable Desert Community – Wadi Attir Project. Comprehensive planning with a focus on the integration of green technologies. Funded by the Sustainability Laboratory; Israeli Ministries of Science & Technology; Agriculture; Energy; Land Administration.
•Achieving Near Zero and Positive Energy Settlements in Europe using Advanced Energy Technology. Consortium of 32 partners from 8 countries, incl. Universities, technology providers and construction companies. Funded by European Commission – Horizon 2020.
•Climate and Green Building Aspects, Kassif Comprehensive Master Plan for 100,000 residents (2030). Israel Ministry of Construction and Housing.

(last five years – S research student under my supervision, * corresponding author)
a. Authored books:

1. Meir, I. A., Y. Etzion, D. Faiman (1990). Energy Aspects of Design in Arid Zones (Hebrew). Desert Architecture Unit/Applied Solar Calculations Unit, BIDR, Sede Boqer Campus & State of Israel, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Research and Development Division, RD-04-90,165p. Second edition - 1994. English edition – 1998.
2. Pearlmutter, D., E. Erell, I. Meir*, Y. Etzion, Y. Rofè (2010). Design Manual for Bio-Climatic Construction in Israel. The state of Israel, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Research and Development Division – electronic book – 160p. http://www.bgu.ac.il/CDAUP/guidebook.pdf

b. Refereed articles and refereed letters in scientific journals:

1. SztankelerS, V., I.A. Meir*, M. Schwartz (2012). Physical development in an ecologically sensitive area. The planning of the Dead Sea Region. Geography Research Forum 32: 82-98.
2. Meir, I.A.*, Y. Avni, A. Peeters, S. Meir (2013). A disaster waiting to happen. On the dynamic relations between geological processes and development in a desert environment. Landscape & Urban Planning 113: 19-29.
3. Meir, I.A.* (2013). Constraints to assets, waste to resources: integrating green technologies in a novel pilot project for drylands. Int. J. Sustainable Energy 34(3-4): 154-165.
4. GabayS, H., I.A. Meir*, M. Schwartz, E. Werzberger (2014). Cost-benefit analysis of green buildings: An Israeli office buildings case study. Energy & Buildings. 76: 558-564.
5. CicelskyS, A., I.A. Meir* 2014. Parametric analysis of environmentally responsive strategies for building envelopes specific for hot hyperarid regions. Journal of Sustainable Cities and Society 13: 279-302.
6. Meir I.A.* (2015). Green technologies in planning and design vis-à-vis climatic uncertainty. Encyclopedia of Energy Engineering and Technology (2nd Edition). Invited entry. Taylor & Francis. pp.796-803. DOI: 10.1081/E-EEE2-120051347
7. Monger C.*, O.E. Sala, M. Duniway, H. Goldfus, I.A. Meir, R.M. Poch, H. Throop, E. Vivoni (2015) Legacy effects in dryland ecologic and soil-geomorphic systems. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 13(1) :13-19.
8. Pearlmutter D.*, N. HubermanS, E. Gal, I.A. Meir (2015). Optimizing structural roof form for life-cycle energy efficiency. Energy & Buildings 104: 336-349.
9. Meron N. S, I.A. Meir* (2017). Building green schools in Israel: Costs, economic benefits and teacher satisfaction. Energy & Buildings 152: 12-18.
10. Saroglou S.S, I.A. Meir* , T. Theodosiou , B. Givoni (2017). Towards energy-efficient skyscrapers. Energy & Buildings 149:1-13.
11. I.A. Meir*, M. Schwartz, Y. DavaraS, Y. Garb (2018). A window of one’s own. A public office building Post-Occupancy Evaluation. Building Research & Information 38(1): 1-16.
12. Reider R.S, I.A. Meir* (2018) Comparing the energy implications of FRP and concrete residential construction in a hot arid climate. Energy & Buildings. In print.
c. Refereed chapters in collective volumes - Conference proceedings:

1. Meir, I.A.*, A. Peeters, D. Pearlmutter, S. Halasa, Y. Garb, J.M. Davis (2013). Green building standards in MENA. State of the art, trends, challenges. In: Proc. 28th PLEA 2013 Int. Conf., electronic version only.
2. Meir, I.A.*, B. CohenS (2014). Building in the desert. On design and construction on the Sede Boqer Campus. In: Gradus, Y., I. Nevo (eds) Science and Scholarship in the Negev. The Story of Ben-Gurion University in the Negev. Ben-Gurion University Press, Beer Sheva, pp.333-360.
3. Meir, I.A.* (2016). Green architecture – the architecture of survivability. In: Messinas, E., D. Price (eds) ECOWEEK:The Book #1: 50 Voices for Sustainability. ECOWEEK, www.ecoweek.org, pp. 148-155.
(https://issuu.com/ecoweek/docs/ecoweek_the_book_part_1 )
4. SaroglouS, T., I.A. Meir *, T. Theodosiou (2017). Quantifying energy consumption in skyscrapers of various heights. SBE16 Int.Conf. Sustainable Synergies from Buildings to the Urban Scale, Oct.17-19, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece. Procedia – Environmental Sciences, 38: 314-321.
5. Meir, I.A.*, R. BernsteinS, K. ShalevS (2017). Architectonic experimentation in early Israeli architecture vis-à-vis climatic constraints: the case of the Negev Desert. In I. Ben-Asher Gitler and A. Geva (eds) Israel as A Modern Experimental Lab, 1948-1978. Critical Studies in Architecture of the Middle East series (edited by M. Gharipour and C. Gruber), Intellect Books, Bristol. (invited paper, in print).
6. Meron N. S, I.A. Meir* (2018) Green construction of schools in Israel: costs and benefits. Ecology & Environment. 3(10.2018):42-47 (in Hebrew) http://magazine.isees.org.il/ArticlePage.aspx?ArticleId=786 .

B.Arch. T.Pl. (1981) Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning.
M.Sc. (1984) in Architecture and Town Planning. Technion, Israel Institute of Technology.

Ph.D. (2002) in Archaeology Studies. Dept. Archaeology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Current research students:

1. R. Bernstein, Ph.D. (est.2019) Kreitman, BGU. Topic: Byzantine Monasticism in the Negev: Physical, Architectonic, and Socio-Economic Context. (supervised with H. Goldfus) Ministry of Aliya and Immigration Absorption – Absorption in Science Scholarship; 2017 Koenen Fellowship for Training in Papyrology; 2018-2019 Albright Institute of Archaeological Research Fellowship.
2. G. Ore, Ph.D. (est. 2019) Kreitman, BGU. Topic: Ancient water cisterns on the Negev Highlands along the Makhtesh Ramon – Mishor haRuhot axis: Geoarchaeology and spatial simulations. (supervised with H.J. Bruins)
3. I. Ram, Ph.D. (est.2020) Kreitman, BGU. Topic: Behavioral barriers impeding the efficient operation of green schools.
4. T. Saroglou, Ph.D. (est.2020) Kreitman, BGU. Topic: Design strategies toward more energy efficient skyscrapers. Negev Scholarship, Rieger Foundation Fellowship.
5. H. Mamalya, Ph.D. (est.2020) Kreitman, BGU. Topic: Building stones and the quarries used for the construction of the Negev cities in the Roman Byzantine period – Nessana, Avdat and Rehovot in the Negev as case studies. (supervised with G. Avni) ISEF Scholarship; Amir Drori Scholarship (Israel Antiquities Authority).
6. R. Haik, Ph.D. (est.2020) Kreitman, BGU. Topic: Development of innovative low energy building materials based on bio-aggregate (supervised with A. Peled). Negev Scholarship.
7. A. Cicelsky, Ph.D. (est.2021) Kreitman, BGU. Topic: Development of sustainable - natural insulation materials for high performance buildings. (supervised with A. Peled).
8. K. Shalev-Lavy, Ph.D. (est.2021) Kreitman, BGU. Topic: Structure, Typology and Ideology – Examining Hybridity of Rural Villages in Israel (supervised with Y. Rofè). Pratt Foundation Scholarship.
9. Z. Zofnat, Ph.D. (est. 2021) Kreitman, BGU. Topic: Kyzylkum and Gobi Deserts. Mapping and research of the Central and Southeast Asia deserts (1850-1970) as a tool for the documentation of changes in flora and water bodies. (supervised with L. Orlovsky).
10. A. Klimasauskaite, Ph.D. (est.2021) Kreitman, BGU. Topic: Justice through Peace and Peace through Justice: The Case Study of the Red Sea Dead Sea Project. (supervised with A. Tal).
11. A. Nadir, Ph.D. (est. 2022) Kreitman, BGU. Topic: The economic contribution of the Roman administration and church establishment to the prosperity of Palaestina Tertia settlement in the 4th century. (supervised with H. Goldfus, K. van der Beek)
12. F. Achwoka, Ph.D. (est. 2022) Kreitman, BGU. Topic: Urban Transportation Infrastructure and Social Exclusion in Sub Saharan African Cities. (supervised with Y. Rofè)
13. E. Zilberberg, M.Sc. (est.2019) Structural Engineering Dept., Faculty of Engineering Sciences, BGU. Topic: Feasibility study of embodied and operative energy savings by envelope construction thermal mass elements analysis. (with S. Isaac).
14. A. Penny M.Sc. (est.2019) AKIS, BIDR, BGU. Topic: Post-Occupancy Evaluation of university facilities: The case of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
15. T.S. Masinde M.Sc. (est.2019) AKIS, BIDR, BGU. Topic: Toward sustainable infrastructures. The case of wastewater reuse in Nairobi, Kenya (tentative). (with Y. Rofè).

Distinctions and Awards

2016 Israel Green Building Council Award for Leadership in Green Building.
2014 100 Shades of Green – Ma’ariv Special Supplement - Voted (by experts’ committee) one of the 100 Israelis most influential on the shaping of environmental policy (in the infrastructures and construction category).
2011 Emilio Ambasz Award for Green Architecture - Architecture of Israel – Award for Research.
2006 Haim Sheba Award for Excelling Scientists.
2001-2 Albert Katz School for Desert Studies, BIDR – Best Specialization Course.
2000-1 School of Architecture, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford UK - Best Tutor.
2000 PLEA International - 2000 Award for Best Paper.
1992-3 BGU Faculty of Humanities - Dean's Award for Excellence (Building Technology in the Negev in the Byzantine Period (4-7 c. CE) and its Adaptation to the Desert Environment).
1992 Dori Award for Technology.
1988 Haim Sheba Award for outstanding contributions to Desert Architecture.