Muhammad Alqannoor

I study the compound energy and cost impact of common residential design decisions in hot climates: envelope performance, shading strategies, glazing ratios, and ceiling height. Each looks minor in isolation. Their interaction determines a building's long-term energy demand, and in practice these choices are justified by intuition rather than evaluated systematically. Professional practice exposes the problem but offers no framework to compare alternatives rigorously, generalize across projects, or turn results into standards.

My work turns observation into evidence. Through parametric, simulation-based analysis, I test how these choices interact across realistic design variations and produce performance benchmarks for residential buildings in Kuwait, benchmarks that can ground both professional practice and public-housing standards. My MSc at UCL's Bartlett is where I am building the simulation and analysis methods to do it.

I come to this from three directions. Working with architects on residential projects, I saw that designers do not evaluate energy performance during design. At Kuwait's Ministry of Justice, where I evaluate construction disputes for the courts, I watch those design failures resurface years later as legal claims: designers have no incentive to evaluate performance, and regulators have no evidence base to set meaningful standards. My architectural engineering training at Penn State, concentrated in daylighting, convinced me that intuition-driven design fails the buildings that depend on it.

I am building toward a role at the intersection of research, practice, and regulation, where design standards rest on measurable, climate-specific outcomes. The MSc is my 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.