U.S.-Egypt Workshop: Sustainability In Engineering And Architectural Design - Green Buildings, Cairo, March 2009

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This award is to support a US-Egypt Workshop on Sustainability in Engineering and Architectural Design to be held in Cairo, Egypt in March 2009. The U.S. organizer is Dr. Fouad H. Fouad, Chairman, Dept. of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at the U. of Alabama, Birmingham. The Egyptian organizer is Dr. Omima Salah el Din, Housing and Building Research Center (HBRC), Cairo, Egypt. Expected participation is twelve from the U.S. and approximately 50 from Egypt and neighboring countries. U.S. participants will come from universities, government, and major design/construction firms. Sustainable architectural and engineering green design have come to the forefront for their use of products and materials that conserve natural resources, provide greater energy efficiency, reduce pollution, and create a healthier and safer environment. A multitude of products, materials and systems are now being marketed for sustainable and green building construction. However, the information on green materials and construction methods is fragmented and not well understood. The workshop will address the area of green building design by facilitating interactions and fostering partnerships among international experts from North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Intellectual merit: The workshop will address issues with respect to sustainable materials and green buildings, including the issues of energy efficient construction systems, affordable housing concepts, environmental resource protection, materials development, construction methods and the current status of research and education on these topics in the U.S. and around the world. The stated objectives are to identify future research topics for joint collaborations, to develop white papers for the identified research topics with funding sources, and to generate an international collaborative research agenda. This workshop is focused on enhancing awareness of green building principles in Egypt and the Middle East, and encouraging collaborative research. A Workshop website will be developed to allow for electronic submission and dissemination of abstracts and papers. Broader impacts: The diverse applications presented by participants will provide a holistic understanding of global sustainable design issues. The workshop will result in better understanding and acceptance of the principles of sustainability and environmentally sound green design, thereby decreasing adverse impacts of the building infrastructure on future urban environments. It will also provide basis for the development of course materials to supplement graduate courses in sustainable green building design. The workshop will strengthen relationships between researchers in Egypt, the Middle East, and the U.S. and will encourage future research collaborations. As a direct outcome of the workshop, it is expected that the Egyptian Housing and Building Research Center (HBRC) will establish a joint task force with participating U.S. scientists for developing an Egyptian "green" building design code. U.S. graduate students and faculty from underrepresented groups will be invited to participate. The research efforts presented at the workshop will provide integrated knowledge which will benefit the society by promoting safer, healthier, environmentally sound, and economical buildings. This project is being supported by the US-Egypt Joint Science and Technology Fund Program, which provides grants to scientists and engineers in both countries to carry out these joint scientific activities.