Heliopolis University

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Sekem University is a university in Cairo, Egypt.

It is still under establishment and has recently changed its name to Heliopolis University.

1 Goals and Concepts:
2 Architecture:
3 Inner courts and climate concept:
4 Shadowing:
5 Landscape architecture:
6 Contact and external link
7 External link

[edit] Goals and Concepts:

The SEKEM University will be a sound continuation of the vision of the SEKEM Initiative as it has been developed since its inception. Its focus will be the economic, social and cultural empowerment of people to reach out for their country's development through science. Comparing it with existing SEKEM provision, scholarly and artistic expression of highly skilled students and scholars in fields of decidedly practical use will now come to the fore.

Learning and working will be tightly connected to minimize the distance between practical realization and theoretical reasoning. Teaching and research will focus on applied sciences that answer existing developmental demands.

They shall make the richness of the country's knowledge and their scholars' visions available to a scientific community on the grounds of mutual benefit through collaboration.

SEKEM has original and innovative partners standing by to share their experience with scholars and students:

University of Applied Sciences Vorarlberg (Austria) University of Antwerp (Belgium) King's College London (UK) University of London (UK) University of Richmond (USA) University of Witten-Herdecke (Germany) University of Marburg (Germany) University of Applied Sciences Mittweida(Germany) Alanus University for the Arts (Germany)

[edit] Architecture:

A representative main entrance leads from belbeis Desert Road to the University Complex through the existing buildings of Sekem Administration and Sekem Academy. The Campus stands ca. 50 m back from the street and is entered from a spacious laid out entrance area. The shape of the University's buildings are comprehensively visible and remainingly impressing. Their design contributes to the better understanding of the University's motto “freedom responsibility excellence”. The Egyptian culture has a strong influence. A parksimilar landscape contains enough shadowed areas to allow members of the University to have communicationfriendly activities outside. In case of need spaces can be covered by shadow roofs. There are certain possibilities to establish residential buildings for students and staff, school and kindergarten for their children and areas for future sporting activities on extension areas. Natural stone slabs and vivible concrete are used preferably for faccades and floors.

[edit] Inner courts and climate concept:

Concept planning for HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Airconditioning, Cooling) is depending on different influences: - shadowing principles - daylighting (directioning/redirectioning)

Thousends of years - since the days of antique architecture - a luxuriant vegetation ist the epitome for compensation of privations of body and soul. So it was obvious to imagine this inner court as a classical light flooded atrium, as an oasis within the building, where a pleasant and gentle breeze refreshes the tired mind. Cooling is gained mainly through componentactivation (walls and ceilings) with capillary water pipes, which can be used for heating in cold seasons also. These PE-micropipes are buried inside a 6 cm thick plaster of loam, that serves also acoustic demands and makes up a unique combination of up-to-date building technology, high-end architecture and traditional building techniques and materials.

[edit] Shadowing:

Shadowing has strong influences on material selection, structure system, facades and roof-shaping. Main goals are: - keeping the building from sun-heating - cooling heated components

Facade-design guarantees high sunfiltering between 9:00am and 11:30am as well as between 1:00pm and 4:00pm, which corresponds with an angle of ca. 35-65° sun-direction SO-SSO and SWSSW. Before and after the above mentioned time vegetation will function as sun filter.

[edit] Landscape architecture:

outer space as lengthening of inner space - strong thematic arranged gardens - waterbassins and brooks - floor coverings from natural stones (granite and limestone from regional sources) - beds of herbaceous plants - smaller gardens with seasonal changing plants - pergolae tendril plants trees in big variations as standalone, allee or grove