Graduate Courses

Architectural Engineering

The concept of high performance green and sustainable buildings. Traditional and advanced building materials. Sustainable building materials characteristics and selection criteria. The three phases of the building material life cycle. Embodied energy and material performance recycled content, rapidly renewable materials, low VOC materials. Pollution prevention and waste reduction measures in materials manufacturing; natural materials, reduction of construction waste, non-toxic or less-toxic materials, reusability, recyclability, biodegradability. Reduction of the ecological footprint of construction operations.

Building services, functions, technological advances in building services for high-performance buildings including vertical transportation, fire detection and protection, water supply and conservation measures, rainwater harvesting, smart systems; greywater recycling; drainage and waste system. Heating and cooling, lighting, safety and security systems and data networking. Principles of selection, and operation of service systems in buildings. The implications of service design decisions on building operational performance.

Building systems evaluation and selection approach. Decision-Making Process, Creativity Approach, Overall performance requirements, Assessment/rating systems, selection criteria and alternatives evaluation, Building Systems Development, Evaluation and selection of sustainable and environmentally responsible materials; Building Performance & Problems; Evaluation and selection case studies to include: Green Buildings, HVAC systems, smart and intelligent buildings, building envelope; Computer Application/Tools Pre Req: ARE 500 or consent of the instructor

Pre-Requisites: ARE500

Global warming and climate change, buildings and sustainable development, building life cycle, material selection and recycling, environmental impacts of building, life cycle assessment (LCA) and ecological footprint of buildings, international trends and best practices, economic features of buildings, life cycle costing of buildings, life cycle costing techniques, and computer applications.

Basics of deep renovation (DR) in buildings. Towards 2050 carbon neutrality. Formulation of DR objectives, strategy, data analysis and information evaluation. DR based on passive and active technologies, their potentials, and limitations. DR process, supporting decision and guidelines. Methodologies and tools to achieve a deep renovation project responding to the requirements of energy, comfort, costs, implementation time, and environmental impact. Integration of renewable energy technologies. Building performance calculation and data analysis: definition, procedure, data flow and results representation. Case studies

Building’s reaction and adaptation to its environments through interconnected building technologies. Intelligent Building Technologies (IBTs). Advanced analytics and cyber-physical systems. Advances in building technology, the application of the Internet of Things (IoT) and digital twins, big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), occupancy management, and pandemic-era innovations. Practical aspects of intelligent building creation at different levels. Intelligent Building Management Systems (BMS), Building Automation System (BAS). Smart sensors, smart materials, intelligent building skins, smart renewable energy resources. Smart homes. Case studies.

Passive design approach to environmental design. Influence of the building form, envelope, and other parts of the building fabric in modifying the indoor climate. Use of ambient energy to achieve comfort without mechanical building services. Passive design principles and basic strategies for lighting, ventilation, acoustics, heating, and cooling of buildings. Passive design considerations in hot climates. Case studies.

Collaborative and integrated building design principles. Holistic approaches to building design. Creativity, communication, and coordination in multidisciplinary design teams. Design principles to integrate structural, mechanical, electrical/lighting, technological, and environmental systems requirements, iterative and integrated building design process. Use of digital tools and BIM strategies. Technical aspects and choice of materials at the design stage; codes, standards, and performance considerations in design. Case Studies.

Introductory exposure of students to the use of computer in the building engineering design process, operation and maintenance. Databases organization. The concepts of Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (CADD), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Knowledge-Based Experts Systems (KBES) and Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). Communication and connectivity, Internet and Web environment,multimedia applications. Computer modeling and simulation. Example applications. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Applications of analytical modeling techniques to problem in construction and maintenance management. Topics include the application of decision theory, queuing, equipment maintenance policies, strategies of maintenance, optimization techniques, and simulation applications in building construction and maintenance. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Life cycle costing approach. Types, uses, sources and output of data. Life cycle costing techniques. Managing risk and uncertainty. Depreciation, replacement and breakeven analysis. Managing project value through life cycle costing. Problems of applications of life cycle costing. Computer applications. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

The need for a rational approach to building systems and materials evaluation. A structured approach to building systems and materials evaluation and selection. Performance requirements criteria, system development, creativity approach, evaluating alternatives; building overall performance; case studies. Prerequisite: ARE 500 or equivalent

Pre-Requisites: ARE500 Or ARE500

Introduction to post-occupancy evaluation (POE); the building performance concept, measuring performance; elements of building performance: spatial, technological, and technical criteria, total indoor environmental quality (TIEQ), the POE process model: planning, conducting and implementing POE; case studies. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Facilities systems functions and components. Operation, maintenance and disposition of building systems such as structural systems, envelope systems, HVAC and mechanical systems, lighting and electrical systems, security and fire safety systems and energy management systems. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Life safety concepts in building design and operation. Basic theory of fire development and propagation in confined spaces. Fire protection objectives. Fire detection and suppression systems, and methods of fire control. Fire and smoke control. Selection of construction and building materials. Smoke management and ventilation techniques. Design of architectural details? for safety (e.g. stairs, ramps, entrances exits, etc.). Computer applications. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Design and appearance: including change of appearance of concrete exposure, cracking in buildings, and protection against corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete. Foundations and walls, including: concrete on sulfate bearing soils and ground waters, sulfate attack on brick work and rising damp in walls. Floors, roofs and joinery, including: damp-proofing solid floors, clay tile flooring, and built-up felt roofs. Painted surfaces, including: painting of iron and steel, nonferrous metals, and woodwork. Services, including: pipes and fittings for domestic water supply and durability of metals in natural waters. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Principles of facilities management (FM), FM skills, FM functions. Facilities planning and administration, space utilization. Human and environmental factors, health, safety and security. Quality management. Value management, outsourcing and contracting administration. Zoning and code requirements. Building performance. Building support services. Building operation and maintenance management. Approaches and strategies for effective management and operation of facilities. Information systems in FM. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Tools, techniques and concepts to solve problems in the planning, design, and management of large complex facilities. Analyzing and organizing facility management functions; linking business plans to strategic, tactical and project planning of facilities; developing a project management team and process; planning and programming facility changes; developing and implementing space allocation procedures and policies (including space standards); forecasting space needs; site search and selection; space planning, programming and interior design; furnishing, finishes and materials specifications; management of large scale moves and relocation. Prerequisite: ARE 520 or Consent of the Instructor

Pre-Requisites: ARE520 Or ARE520

Maintenance Management techniques, maintenance standards, maintenance contract types, organizing and staffing of maintenance departments, estimating and budgeting, scheduling and controlling work, improving productivity, computer applications. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Information systems in facilities management. Computer-based FMS applications that include; real estate lease and management, space management, furniture and equipment management, telecommunications and cable management, building operations and maintenance management. Prerequisite: ARE 520

Pre-Requisites: ARE520 Or ARE520

Green and sustainable buildings; objectives; definitions; elements of green buildings, economics, social and environmental benefits. Principles of sustainable built environment; applicable strategies. Green building practices: energy efficiency, water efficiency, materials efficiency, Indoor environmental quality, waste reduction. Renewable energy, Green building materials, products, and selection criteria; World’s leading green building organizations. Standards, assessment and rating systems. Case Studies

Design of sustainable indoor environment. Total indoor environmental quality (TIEQ). Wellbeing, health and productivity of building occupants. Human physiological factors influencing indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Thermal, visual, and acoustical comfort. Ventilation and indoor air quality (IAQ). Requirements and design criteria. Environmental impact, standards and regulations. Assessment measurements and rating systems.

Weather and climate interaction with buildings; thermal radiation in the environment; water in the environment and its interaction with buildings; heat transfer in building structures; solar radiation influences on buildings. Effect of wind on buildings; air leakage and ventilation. Energy loads under different climates, energy management and renewable energy in buildings.

Computer-aided information management in building design, construction, and operations, including developing and managing relational databases, querying databases using SQL, concepts and application of data mining techniques, and application of computers in the planning, organizing, and controlling during the building lifecycle.

Available solar radiation, radiation on opaque and transparent materials, solar collection, theory and types of solar collectors, performance of solar collectors, energy storage in solar systems, solar water heating in buildings, passive and active solar heating, design of solar heating systems, solar cooling in buildings; economics of solar systems. Computer applications. Prerequisite: ARE 530 or Consent of the Instructor

Pre-Requisites: ARE530 Or ARE530

Energy use and trends. Heat flow in buildings, heating and cooling energy requirements, energy estimating methods. Building energy modeling and optimization. Building energy audits, analysis of alternative building energy-efficiency measures. Energy management. Energy codes and standards. Net zero energy buildings. Pre Req: ARE 530 or Equivalent or Consent of Instructor

Pre-Requisites: ARE530

Building energy systems analysis and evaluation; energy estimating techniques; computer models for estimating building energy consumption; applications of various building energy analysis computer programs; building energy optimization; computer evaluation of alternative building energy conservation measures (ECMs). Prerequisite: ARE 533 or Consent of the Instructor

Pre-Requisites: ARE533 Or ARE533

Thermal comfort requirements, ventilation and air quality requirements, thermal load calculations. HVAC systems types, analysis, and selection. Air distribution design, duct design. Energy efficiency considerations. Computerized HVAC systems analysis and design. Prerequisite: ARE 529 or Equivalent or Consent of Instructor

Pre-Requisites: ARE529

Concepts of automatic control systems. Logic of controls and their interaction with the building and its systems. Control issues related to energy conservation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in buildings; lighting systems; formulation of control models and their numerical solutions. Selected case studies of control techniques for HVAC systems. Prerequisite: ARE 535 or Consent of the Instructor

Pre-Requisites: ARE535 Or ARE535

Concepts of advanced building envelopes. Envelope materials, mechanical, chemical and physical properties, and durability performance. Components of building envelopes, dynamic and interactive facades. Environmental-response and adaptive facades. Glazing system types and technologies. Innovative technologies for building skins, architectural membranes, and phase change materials. Integrating photovoltaics and solar thermal technologies. Double skin and cavity facades. Kinetic skins, biomimicry and biomimetics. Envelope Intelligent sensing and control. High-tech lightweight building envelopes. Green walls and roofs. Pre Req: ARE 530 or Equivalent or Consent of Instructor

Pre-Requisites: ARE530

Indoor air quality factors, effects on building occupants’ health, sick building syndrome, sources of pollutants indoors, standards, methods of measuring, sampling and analyzing contaminants, influence of infiltration and ventilation on air quality, modeling of indoor air quality, removal rate, dilution control, assessment of ventilation effectiveness, air exchange efficiency and air distribution, analysis of ventilation design decisions.

Renewable energy resources, classification of renewable resources, renewables resource assessment, renewable technologies for buildings, hydropower, solar energy technologies, wind power, geothermal energy, ground and air source heat pumps, wave and tidal power, application of renewable technologies in buildings, techno-economics of renewables in buildings, renewable support policy mechanisms, renewable system design principles, software tools.

The concept of integrated building design for enhancing inhabitant comfort, wellbeing and health. Main factors affecting health, wellbeing, human performance and comfort in building design/operation. The cause, alleviation and possible cure of unhealthy buildings. The psychological and physiological responses to the built environment, mainly workplaces. Wellbeing “standards” and methods of evaluating wellbeing in relation to occupant performance and physiological responses.

Solar radiation, solar geometry, solar technologies, types of solar PV, classification of PV systems, design and application of PV systems, solar water heating, passive and active solar heating and cooling, energy storage for solar systems, economics of solar systems. Software/modelling tools Pre Req: ARE 530 or Equivalent or Consent of Instructor

Pre-Requisites: ARE530

Energy-efficient lighting systems components and characteristics. Impact of lighting on human perception and interaction with space; human factors in lighting. Advanced analysis, design, and modeling of luminous environments; light measurement technologies, effective and efficient integration of daylighting and artificial lighting, relative visual performance, visual comfort probability; discomfort glare; and unified glare rating systems. Advanced modeling, simulation and analysis of light sources and conditions in spaces. Smart lighting and control systems. Pre Req: ARE 529 or Consent of Instructor

Pre-Requisites: ARE529

Lighting systems components and characteristics. Visual comfort. Color and lighting. Lighting design calculations methods. System and components selections procedures. Systems analysis, design and layout techniques. Energy conservation considerations. Computer applications. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Introduction to daylighting, sources of daylight and availability, sky luminous conditions. Traditional performance and emerging metrics. Daylight transmission through openings. Advanced glazing systems, and shading devices. Solar geometry and design of sun-shading devices. Daylight design requirements and considerations. Daylighting advanced analysis. Design of openings in desert areas. Computer applications. Energy conservation and daylighting. Pre Req: ARE 529 or Consent of Instructor

Pre-Requisites: ARE529

Energy resources, global warming and climate change, energy technologies and environmental emissions, carbon-neutral and zero-carbon energy transitions, key drivers of energy transition, dynamics of energy transition, decarbonization, distributed generation, digitalization, decreasing use of energy, renewable and low-carbon technologies, energy transition stakeholders, global energy transition trends and policies.

Sound propagation and quantification; people perception of sound and noise; indoor noise sources; noise criteria and rating systems. Control techniques of air-borne and structure-borne noise, acoustical comfort requirements; sound quality assessment. Noise and vibration of mechanical and electrical equipment. Analysis techniques for noise reduction of HVAC, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems. Vibration isolation and control strategies. Computer applications in acoustical measurements, modeling, simulation and analysis. Pre Req: ARE 529 or Consent of Instructor

Pre-Requisites: ARE529

Basics of sound propagation and quantification; people perception of sound and noise; outdoor and indoor noise sources; noise criteria and rating systems; sound insulation. Techniques for controlling air-borne and structure-borne noise. Behavior of sound in enclosures; acoustical comfort requirements for speech and music; sound quality assessment. Mechanical and electrical equipment noise. Architectural detailing for acoustical performance. Computer applications in acoustical measurements, analysis and modeling. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

Noise and vibration, duct-borne transmission; duct-borne flow-generated noise; prediction techniques. Fan noise, calculations of duct-borne noise breakout and controlling techniques. HVAC sound reduction techniques. Noise sources and acoustic characteristics of room units. Plantroom noise breakout to adjacent areas. Calculation and analysis techniques for HVAC mechanical equipment noise. Vibration isolation and control strategies. Case studies; Computer applications. Prerequisite: ARE 535 or Consent of the Instructor

Pre-Requisites: ARE535 Or ARE535

Energy use in buildings, energy efficient buildings, sustainable building design features, renewable energy including solar and wind, sustainable energy solutions for buildings, low-carbon technologies, renewables integration in buildings, renewable energy trends and policies, renewables modeling and life cycle assessment.

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Building performance and influencing factors, facilities manager’s role in operating healthy and sustainable facilities. Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) use and benefits. Elements of building performance: technical, functional, and behavioral, POE levels of effort, phases, and steps. Data collection and analysis methods. Performance measurement protocols, metrics, and instrumentation. Advanced rating systems of high-performance buildings. Emerging technologies and computer applications. Case studies

Safety and security concepts in building design and operation. The role of the facilities manager. Risk assessment processes, emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. Intelligent security systems in buildings. Fire development, propagation, and severity in buildings. Smart fire detection, notification, and suppression systems. Smoke management techniques. Fire-resisting elements. Evacuation strategies. National and International Safety codes and standards. Challenges of fire safety for building sustainability. Innovative technologies. Potentials of IoT technologies for fire prevention in smart facilities. BIM tools and computer-predictive simulations for fire safety management. Case studies.

Overview of real state and property management. Real estate strategies and techniques. Real estate assessment, acquisition and disposal. Building classifications. Types of tenants, tenants requirements. Site evaluation and selection. Market search and analysis, and feasibility studies. Real estate financing. Real estate economics, marketing and leasing. Tenant administration, maintenance and staffing. Scope of real estate management (rental housing, condominiums, and shopping centers and retail properties), Space and asset management. Entrepreneurial role of real estate management. The potential of BIM applications in the real estate and property management industry.

Intelligent buildings, design, operation, and maintenance. Building systems functions, components, operational requirements. Building automation, commissioning and diagnostic technologies for building systems and equipment. AI and IoT applications for intelligent buildings, BIM-based operation and planning of facilities maintenance. Sustainable control, operation, and maintenance of mechanical, lighting, and electrical systems in buildings. Building systems maintenance requirements, fault detection and automated diagnostics. Operation and maintenance strategies. Case studies.

The concept and approach for sustainability in relation to facilities management (FM). The facilities manager’s role in the sustainable delivery of FM. Integration of building design, technology use, and management of support services in the context of sustainable FM. The role of information in FM, benefits achieved through the implementation of emerging technologies (e.g. IoT, AI and BIM) in the FM domain to achieve smart and sustainable facilities. Challenges associated with the utilization of emerging technologies in the FM domain: interoperability and enhancement of data integration, knowledge management, training and competence development for facilities managers. Case studies.

Advanced topics selected from the major areas of Architectural Engineering to provide the students with advanced applications and state-of the-art developments in the design, and operation of high performance and sustainable buildings. Prerequisite: ARE 328 and Consent of Instructor

Identification of a research topic, literature survey, and topic development. Structured presentation on selected topic. Submission of a research paper. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing (Equivalent to CEM 599)

Research study that deals with the analysis and/or design of a significant problem related to the field of Architectural Engineering and prepared under the supervision of an ARE faculty. The project report should follow formal report format including an introduction, literature review, research methodology, collection and analysis of data, conclusions and recommendations, list of references and appendices of important information. The research project will be presented and evaluated by a faculty committee. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing

This course is intended to allow the student to conduct research in advanced problems in his M.Sc. research area. The course is offered on a student-to-faculty basis. For a student to register in this course with a specific faculty member, a clear Research Plan of the intended research work during the course is required to be approved by the Graduate/Research Committee of the department and reported to the Deanship of Graduate Studies. The student is expected to deliver a public seminar to the department Graduate/Research Committee and a report on his research outcomes at the end of the course.

Pre-Requisites: ARE599 Or CEM599

An original study on an approved research topic in the field of Architectural Engineering focusing on (Sustainable Energy and Indoor Environment) carried out under the supervision of a specialized faculty member in Architectural Engineering.

Pre-Requisites: ARE599 Or CEM599

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