Al-Ahram Weekly reports on one university's efforts to sustain the environment In its downtown Cairo setting, the American University in Cairo (AUC) didn't function in, or contribute to a clean environment. However, with its relocation to New Cairo on the outskirts of the capital, the AUC built a campus that meets environmentally friendly architectural and landscaping standards. Built on 260 acres, the campus is pedestrian-only. Openings from courtyards and gateways are oriented towards the northeast winds, providing the university garden with a cool breeze. Factor in 1,216 date palms, 6,970 trees and 27 fountains and you have a formula that proves effective in reducing long-term energy and maintenance costs. Besides, "gardens help condense the cool air of the night and will ventilate the whole campus during the day," explained Abdel-Halim Ibrahim, one of the project's architects. Approximately 46 species of trees were used, including carob, sycamore and fig. Landscape designer Maher Stino believes that these kinds of trees are not only appropriate to the desert climate of the campus, but will provide students with fruits and nuts. According to library architect Stephen Johnson, applying a sustainable environmental design is merely a matter of "local knowledge and common sense". Take the walls of the buildings, which are constructed according to energy management systems that reduce air conditioning and heating energy costs by an average of 50 percent. More than three-quarters of the external walls are made of sandstone, which helps keep rooms cool during the day and warm at night. The unused sandstone was recycled and used to build the "alumni wall" that circles the campus. The university parking lot is located on the periphery, and supplies arrive through a 1.6 kilometre underground service tunnel that runs below ground across the entire campus. Services that are accessible through the tunnel include all deliveries and pickups from campus buildings, fibre optic and technology-related wiring, major electrical conduits and plumbing. The AUC's new campus is designed to accommodate 5,500 full-time students and 1,500 faculty and staff, and is accessible to persons with disabilities. New Cairo's first public park is planned within the premises of the university campus, with terraces, palm groves and shaded garden areas. There will be cultural events in the open-air amphitheatre. By Mahmoud Bakr
