One of the phenomenal pursuits of IUG is pushing the academic staff forward to keep the pace with the most developed academic systems worldwide. Recently, the Architectural Department at Engineering Faculty has won a brand-new project” Build capacities in the field of energy efficient buildings to develop sustainable built environment” in partnership with Architectural Faculties at Technische Universität Wien.
The main aim of the project is to build the local institutions’ capacity in the field of energy efficient buildings as a strategy to achieve a sustainable built environment in the Gaza strip. The project seeks to develop an approach for sustainable building design & construction that contributes to reducing the energy consumption of buildings and its adverse environmental impacts. In addition, it will exchange knowledge between the north and south universities and establish a long-lasting academic partnership with Austrian academics and research institutions.
The Project manager Prof. Ahmed Mohaisen reported that the project comes as a response to the severe energy problems in Gaza Strip and the urgent need for immediate and innovative solutions. Therefore, the project will provide a good opportunity for both partners to exchange knowledge and investigate potential solutions & improvements in the fields of energy efficiency.
The project comprises several activities, most important of which are: development of the architecture and power course in MA program, development of a vocational diploma in energy efficient buildings targeting workers in the Gaza Strip, construction of well-equipped research lab; finally, preparation of academic and awareness-raising activities in designing and implementing buildings.
This project is a completion of the funded project by Appear implemented last April 2017. In which the first phase aimed at developing the course of energy efficient buildings in Bachelor degree, equipping a computer lab and specialized measuring equipment, organizing numerous training courses and awareness-raising activities, as well as organizing a specialized conference, the Sixth Engineering Conference held by the Faculty of Engineering at IUG last year.
Under Umbrella of academic partnership with Appear, there are two projects have been implemented at IUG: “Strengthening Higher Education Capacities in Palestine for Gender Equality” managed by the faculty of Education, and ” Developing maker‐movement‐inspired training courses on renewable energy sources in the Gaza Strip” managed by University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna.
