Sustainable Campus Ras Al Khaimah - MArch with merit
© 2012 EPFL
For her Master in Architecture thesis, Silvia Coccolo accepted the challenge of designing a project for EPFL Middle East in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, optimised for sustainable energy management. This brilliantly executed study was rewarded with the top mark and a distinction by Politecnico Torino.
Silvia Coccolo's work combined a study of the archetype of Arab architecture and a bioclimatic analysis.
Form and materials, history and human relationships that characterise Arab architecture were revisited from a bioclimatic point of view, adding a solid scientific base to observations. The hypothetical Masterplan was inspired by the Arab Medina as architectonic symbol of the Arab architecture and as bioclimatic model. Several analyses with CitySim, an Urban Energy Modelling tool developped at LESO-PB, were made to optimize this urban form.
The Masterplan respects the Minergie standards for tropical climates and ensures an excellent energy performance of the campus using renewable energy sources to guarantee a limited carbon footprint.
This Master thesis was directed by Dr Jérôme Kaempf of the EPFL Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory.