The Centers for Advanced Studies-Energy project (CAS) is an initiative by USAID and the Higher Education Commission, to support Pakistan’s economic development by strengthening Universities. The project creates a cadre of effective graduates for employment in the private and public sectors in agriculture, water and energy. The project aims to improve the working relationship between the universities and the industry to support applied research and to increase the quality of faculty without relying entirely on public or donor financing.
Kashif Aslam & Associates worked as the design and supervision consultant, the entire process of design and final handing over of completed project took place within prescribed period of 2 years.
The facility is designed on energy efficiency and green building concepts, several approaches to minimize energy footprint of the building were adopted.
A thorough site analysis was conducted at the beginning of the design stage, topography of the site helped manage the daunting task of storm water management, rain water collection and reuse for irrigation.
The building being an academic cum office facility required a unified complex yet having segregation of administrative areas from the academic activities, for ease of coordination and communication between the faculty and research scholars, a central courtyard in form of an atrium is created in the middle of the building, all inhabited zone surround the courtyard, the passages around the courtyard are merged into atrium, the only separation being a glass guard rail. Entire indoor space is lit naturally through the atrium. Main public areas are located at ground floor, making courtyard/atrium to work as an assembly area before and after the large gatherings. The introvert arrangement of the building allowed a large space program to fit within a smaller footprint thereby limiting the heat exchange to outdoors, helping to meet the green building goals of the project.
