Sustainable Design Guidelines for New and Existing Schools in Egypt
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
American University in Cairo AUC Knowledge Fountain Theses and Dissertations 2-1-2019 Sustainable design guidelines for new and existing schools in Egypt Sara Harb Follow this and additional works at: https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds Recommended Citation APA Citation Harb, S. (2019).Sustainable design guidelines for new and existing schools in Egypt [Master’s thesis, the American University in Cairo]. AUC Knowledge Fountain. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/524 MLA Citation Harb, Sara. Sustainable design guidelines for new and existing schools in Egypt. 2019. American University in Cairo, Master's thesis. AUC Knowledge Fountain. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/524 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by AUC Knowledge Fountain. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of AUC Knowledge Fountain. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SUSTAINABLE DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR NEW AND EXISTING SCHOOLS IN EGYPT A Thesis Submitted to Graduate Program in Sustainable Development in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Sustainable Development by Sara Harb Under the supervision of: Dr. Salah El Haggar President of Egypt Green Building Council Professor of Energy and Sustainable Development The American University in Cairo Dr. Hani Sewilam Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development The American University in Cairo Summer 2018 Abstract As a global society, we are faced with an ever-growing number of sustainability challenges in the social, environmental and economic sectors. Visions for addressing such challenges have been put forward in international blueprints and policy agreements on advancing sustainable development. In these documents and agreements, education has been identified as a crucial avenue for pushing forward sustainable behaviors. Education is the fundamental element for the development of any nation, and its shortage has a direct effect on the social, environmental and economic development of the country (El Baradei & Baradei, 2004). Turning schools into sustainable schools has been a research and policy focus for years, especially throughout the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Building codes and practices play an important role in turning schools into places of sustainable learning and behavior. Previous research has addressed the concept of sustainable schools extensively, in the lights of the sustainable school design criteria and the positive impacts of having sustainable physical spaces for education. However, none cater for the Egyptian context, and are simultaneously based on building assessment standards, as well as the integration of appropriate social, environmental, and economic sustainability themes. The research project explores the requirements of Egyptian schools in the implementation of sustainable school designs and architectural changes. The thesis takes a qualitative research method with an inductive approach, in which theory development is based on and evolves with the study’s findings. The thesis will make suggestions for the content of a new guideline, based on the available literature as well as on the analysis of detailed data collected based on the observation of school grounds and daily school routines and procedures during a series of school visits. The directing parameters of the guideline are based on sustainable building assessment guidelines, Egypt’s pressing social, economic and environmental concerns, pedagogy of educational environments, students’ social, psychological, and developmental needs, in order to develop a holistic framework. The guideline is divided into two main sections; new and existing schools. The guideline is further divided into three main sustainability categories: energy, water, and habitat; which is following the same category division adopted by EGGBC in the Tarsheed guidelines. The procedures of the research use a case study approach that focuses on one public school in Cairo, Gamal Abd El-Nasser which is located in Boulaq El Dakrour (BD), one of the poorest informal areas located in the western urban area of Greater Cairo within the boundaries of Giza Governorate. Criteria for selecting the school as a case study included choosing a preparatory school where the overall school infrastructure and conditions were of medium quality standards, making the school a potential candidate for upgrading its school infrastructure and processes to become a sustainable school in the future. The developed guideline is implemented in the case study school to demonstrate the flexibility, affordability and simplicity of attaining the required credits within the guidelines. The school scores a total of 9 out of 26 points in the Energy category, 7 out of 18 points in the Water category, 3 out of 12 points in the Indoor Environmental Quality sub-category, 6 out of 6 points in the Materials 2 sub-category, and 36 out of 41 points in Sustainable Sites sub-category. This provides a sum of 56 out of 100 points, which awards the school a silver rating. 3 Acknowledgement This research would not be possible without the contribution, motivation and dedication of a vast number of people, to whom I am deeply grateful. Words are not enough to truly express my gratitude and thankfulness to the unwavering support of my two advisors Dr. Salah El-Haggar and Dr. Hani Sewilam. I’ll be forever grateful for your gift of time, dedication, knowledge and support. I thank Dr. Salah El- Haggar for not only being my advisor but my teaching role model who leads by outstanding example of who I could only strive to be one day. I could not possibly express my gratitude to your guidance, patience and boundless encouragement. I would like to seize this opportunity to thank Dr. Hani Sewilam for not hesitating in allowing me the opportunity to work on the EduCamp project, which has shaped the research outcomes in a profound way. Your endless support, guidance and most importantly your belief in me has driven me to aspire to achieve the highest standards of professional achievement. I could not but genuinely thank my friends in the Center for Sustainable Development for their endless support, Khaled, Yomna, Ahmed, Hossam, Dina, Amira, and Dona; your technical advice and moral support were instrumental to the completion of this thesis. And Khaled, your effort, patience, and dedication to the program is commendable to not only me, but to every CSD graduate. I would also like to thank my friends, Amira and Reem for their infinite support, and Maha for her constant encouragement and devoting her time to proof- reading parts of this research. Definitely, above all, special thanks and gratitude goes to my family. Without their emotional and moral support, this thesis would not have been possible. And since we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. I would hope that I continue to make you proud. 4 Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................. 2 Acknowledgement ................................................................................................. 4 List of Figures: ........................................................................................................ 8 List of Tables: ....................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................ 13 1.1. Background of the problem ......................................................................................................... 13 1.2. Research Questions ......................................................................................................................... 15 1.3. Research Objective .......................................................................................................................... 15 1.4. Research Gap ..................................................................................................................................... 16 1.5. Research Methodology .................................................................................................................. 16 Chapter 2: Literature Review ................................................................................ 17 2.1. Sustainable Development ............................................................................................................. 17 2.2. Education for Sustainable Development ............................................................................... 17 2.3. Sustainable schools ......................................................................................................................... 20 2.4. Worldwide Green Building Rating Systems ......................................................................... 22 The British Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ........................................................................................................................................................... 23 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ............................................................ 24 The Green Pyramid Rating System (GPRS) .......................................................................................... 24 TARSHEED .........................................................................................................................................................