With Students of the Graduation Project Course in Architecture UoB’s College of Engineering and Green Innova Launch the Sustainability Award

Sakhir – University of Bahrain (Ali Al Sabbaq)

22 March 2023

Students taking the graduation project course in Architecture at the College of Engineering at the University of Bahrain (UoB) are competing for the Green Innova Award for Sustainability.

The student competition was recently announced at an event in the College with the participation of representatives of Green Innova Sustainability Company, and in the presence of the Head of the Department of Architecture and Interior Design, Dr. Huda Mohammed Al-Madhoob.

During the event, Dr. Al-Madhoob stated that the Award aims to encourage students to design sustainable buildings that help rationalize energy consumption, through conscious and thoughtful architectural design that takes into account the climatic and environmental data of the location, raises the thermal performance of buildings, and uses clean, environmentally friendly materials, such as solar panels and wind powered generators.

The Head of the Department urged students to apply the standards of sustainable development to the projects they will design within their graduation projects, noting the partnership between the University and the leading companies in the field of sustainability, which would develop educational outcomes, upgrade student projects, and prepare students for the labor market, stressing that sustainability has become one of the requirements of the times that cannot be ignored or dispensed with.

For his part, Ebrahim Radhi, member of the Board of Directors of Green Innova Sustainability Company, confirmed that the Company adopts the promotion of green building methods, to promote the idea of preserving the environment, especially for future engineers and architects.

“The Company’s efforts in this field have resulted in providing training courses for engineers, to inform them of the latest sustainable technologies available in the market, and the best ways to use them.” Mr. Radhi Stated.

While on the feasibility of using solar panels, he said: “The costs may be high at first, but they can be recovered within a period of six to seven years, and the life of solar panels can reach approximately 25 years, which encourages investors to include them in buildings,” explaining that “The volume of energy produced can cover 75% of consumption at times.”.

In addition, the event included a brief presentation on the Company’s projects, presented by the architect Walaa Sharaf, who introduced the students to practical applications of sustainable energy and its architectural treatments in Bahrain.

The event concluded with the announcement of the award, which shall motivate students and encourage them to integrate sustainable energy methods and technologies into their graduation projects designs.

For her part, a faculty member in the Department of Architecture and Interior Design at the College of Engineering, coordinator of graduation projects in the Architecture Program, Dr. Manal Jamil Khalaf, mentioned that the issue of sustainability is no longer a luxury topic, but has become a global priority, as countries seek to exploit resources in environmentally friendly ways.

Moreover, Dr. Khalaf indicated that 120 students in their final year in the architecture program can participate in the Award, which will be given to one person at the end of the second semester, within the graduation projects exhibition for students of the College of Engineering.