Muhammad Alqannoor

My research interest is the compound energy and cost impact of common residential design decisions in hot climates: envelope performance, shading strategies, glazing ratios, and ceiling height. Each appears minor in isolation, but their interaction determines long-term energy demand, and they are justified intuitively far more often than they are evaluated systematically. Professional practice exposes these issues, but it does not provide the framework to compare alternatives rigorously, generalize across projects, or translate results into standards.

I want to move from observation to evidence: a parametric, simulation-based approach that tests how these choices interact across realistic design variations and produces benchmarks for residential buildings in Kuwait, capable of informing both professional practice and public-housing standards. My MSc at UCL's Bartlett is where I am building the simulation and analysis methods to pursue it.

I come to this from three directions. Working with architects on residential projects, I saw that energy performance was almost never discussed during design. At Kuwait's Ministry of Justice, where I evaluate construction disputes for the courts, I see how design failures surface years later as claims: designers lack the incentive to evaluate performance, and regulators lack the evidence base to set meaningful standards. My architectural engineering training at Penn State, with a concentration in daylighting, convinced me that intuition-driven design is insufficient.

In the long term I want to work at the intersection of research, practice, and regulation, grounding design standards in measurable, climate-specific outcomes, and I view the master's as a step toward doctoral research on building performance in extreme climates.

Fully funded for master's and doctoral study by the Kuwait Civil Service Commission.

I am open to research conversations in building-performance simulation, housing-stock modeling, energy policy, and climate-responsive design. The best way to reach me is by email at [email protected], and my CV is here.