Islam Mashaly

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Position: Assistant Professor
Department: Department of Architecture

Brief Biography

Islam Mashaly is an assistant professor of sustainable architecture and environmental design at The American University in Cairo (AUC), Department of Architecture. He first joined AUC in 2013 as a teaching and research assistant and returned in 2023 as an adjunct faculty member, following the completion of his PhD. He holds a BSc in building engineering from Ain Shams University (2013), an MSc in sustainable development from AUC (2017), and a PhD in architecture and the built environment from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia (2021).

Mashaly’s academic and professional work integrates sustainability, building science and digital design technologies. With over a decade of experience across Egypt, Australia, and the Middle East, he brings interdisciplinary expertise in daylighting, energy efficiency, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and digital twins. He has published in leading Q1 journals and co-holds a U.S. patent.

At AUC, Mashaly co-founded and coordinates the BIM VDC Graduate Diploma and teaches undergraduate courses in sustainability, environmental design, building performance and building codes. His consultancy background includes energy efficiency assessments in Australia and BIM implementation across large-scale projects. He is accredited in green building certification systems, including LEED and EDGE and is a recipient of Australia’s Global Talent Visa for his contributions to energy efficiency.

Research Interest

Daylighting optimization and facade systems
Building performance simulation and energy efficiency
Digital twins and data-driven environmental visualization
Computational design, machine learning and AI-assisted tools in sustainability
Integration of BIM in sustainable design workflows
Climate-responsive design and Net-Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB)
Sustainable urban mobility and Virtual Reality in architectural research

Education

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Sustainable Architecture and Computational Design (2021), School of Architecture and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Master of Science (MSc) in Sustainable Development (2017), The American University in Cairo, Egypt
Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Building Engineering (2013), Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Patent

Safwat, A. M. E., Nassar, K. M., Mohamed, O. M. G. E., El Hennawy, S., Mohamed, M. W., Mashaly, I. & Hassan, O. N., (2016). Illumination of dense urban areas by light redirecting sine wave panels. US Patent App. 15/109,691.

Book Chapter

Teixeira, F. F., Mashaly, I., Shafiei, M., Xu, Q., Zhu, G., & Karlovsek, J. (2025). Integrating Digital Twins in Urban Sustainability: A Framework for University Campus Applications. In Digital Twin Computing for Urban Intelligence.

Peer-reviewed Journal Publications

Mashaly, I., Sherif, A., El-Hussainy, M., & Tarabieh, K. (2025). A Daylighting Performance Prediction Tool for Early Design Stages Using Machine Learning. Journal of Architectural Engineering (Under review)
Sherif, A., Mashaly, I., & El-Hussainy, M. (2025). From 10% to 20%: Influence of Annual Sunlight Exposure Threshold on the Acceptability of Daylighting Performance under Different Sky Conditions. Journal of Architectural Engineering, 31(1), 04024041.
El-Husseiny, M., Mashaly, I., Azouz, N., Sakr, N., Seddik, K., & Atallah, S. (2024). Exploring sustainable urban mobility in Africa-and-MENA universities towards intersectional future research. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 26, 101167.
El-Maghraby, Y., Tarabieh, K., Sharkass, M., Mashaly, I., & Fahmy, E. (2024). Thermal and Structural Performances of Screen Grid Insulated Concrete Forms (SGICFs) Using Experimental Testing. Buildings, 14(9), 2599.
Sherif, A., Tarabieh, K., Mashaly, I., & Amer, M. (2023). Identifying Façade Orientations with Closely Similar Thermal Performance for Unifying Façade Design Features in Hot Arid Climate. Buildings, 13(10), 2639.
Mashaly, I., Garcia-Hansen, V., Cholette, M. E., & Isoardi, G. (2021). A daylight-oriented multi-objective optimisation of complex fenestration systems. Building and Environment, 197, 107828.
Mashaly, I., Garcia-Hansen, V., Isoardi, G., & Cholette, M. E. (2021). CFStrace: An evaluation method to include complex fenestration systems in the façade design process. Solar Energy, 217, 253–262.
Tarabieh, K., Nassar, K., Abdelrahman, M., & Mashaly, I. (2019). Statics of space syntax: Analysis of daylighting. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 8(3), 311–318.
Wagdy, A., Sherif, A., Sabry, H., Arafa, R., & Mashaly, I. (2017). Daylighting simulation for the configuration of external sun-breakers on south oriented windows of hospital patient rooms under a clear desert sky. Solar Energy, 149, 164–175.
Mashaly, I., Nassar, K., El-Henawy, S. I., Mohamed, M. W. N., Galal, O., & Darwish, A. (2017). A prismatic daylight redirecting fenestration system for southern skies. Renewable Energy, 109, 202–212.
Sherif, A., Sabry, H., Wagdy, A., Mashaly, I., & Arafa, R. (2016). Shaping the slats of hospital patient room window blinds for daylighting and external view under desert clear skies. Solar Energy, 133, 1–13.
Mahmoud, M. A. A., Mashaly, I., Rashed, Y. M., & Nassar, K. (2016). A New Dynamic Climate-Based Daylight Metric for Sustainable Building Design in Hot Climates. Modern Environmental Science and Engineering, 2(5), 358–364.
El-Henawy, S. I., Mohamed, M. W. N., Mashaly, I., Mohamed, O. N., Galal, O., & Darwish, A. (2014). Illumination of dense urban areas by light redirecting panels. Optics Express, 22(103), A895–A907.
Mohamed, M. W. N., Mashaly, I., Mohamed, O. N., El-Henawy, S. I., Galal, O., & Darwish, A. (2014). Light redirecting system using sine-wave based panels for dense urban areas. In Nonimaging Optics: Efficient Design for Illumination and Solar Concentration.

Conferences

Aly, S., Ibrahim, H., Goubran, S., Mashaly, I., Hamdy, A., & Tarabieh, K. (2024). Retrofitting our Way to a Fossil-Fuel-Free Future. In Proceedings of 37th PLEA Conference, 26-28 June 2024 Wrocław, Poland.
Rashed, Y. M., Nosair, I. A. R., Nassar, K., Mashaly, I., & Meshary, G. (2019). A BIM-based Life Cycle Cost (LCC) Method to Reduce the Operation Energy Costs in Buildings. In IBPSA Building Simulation Conference 2019.
Mashaly, I., Garcia-Hansen, V., Isoardi, G., & Cholette, M. (2019). A Design Method for Complex Fenestration Systems Using Forward Raytracing. In IBPSA Building Simulation Conference 2019.
Tarabieh, K., Mashaly, I., & Rashed, Y. (2017). A Comparative Study for the Selection of a Curtain Wall Glazing type Suitable in a Regional Hot Arid Climate Condition. In PLEA 2017.
Mashaly, I., Rashed, Y., El-Haggar, S., & Nassar, K. (2017). The viability of using different types of recycled plastic as glazing in windows. In Building Simulation Applications 2017 Proceedings
Mashaly, I., Rashed, Y. M., Adel, M., & Nassar, K. (2015). A new climate-based daylight metric for hot climates. In Building Simulation Applications BSA Conference - Italy , 155–162.
Mashaly, I., Rashed, Y. M., Adel, M., & Nassar, K. (2015). The effect of vegetation on daylight availability. In Building Simulation Applications BSA Conference – Italy, 163–170.
Tarabieh, K. A., Elnabarawy, I. O., Mashaly, I., & Rashed, Y. M. (2015). The Power of Data Visualization: A Prototype Energy Performance Map for a University Campus. In First International Symposium on Sustainable Human–Building Ecosystems (pp. 194–203).
Nassar, K., Safwat, A., Darwish, A., El-Henawy, S., Mashaly, I., & Mohamed, O. (2014). Designing a Light Redirecting System for Southern Skies. In Proceedings of the 2014 Building Simulation and Optimization Conference (pp. 1–7).

Research Theses

Mashaly, I. (2021). An evaluation method to include complex fenestration systems in the Façade design process. Queensland University of Technology.
Mashaly, I. (2016). A sustainable complex fenestration system using recycled plastics. The American University in Cairo.

Islam Mashaly

Patent

Book Chapter

Peer-reviewed Journal Publications

Conferences

Research Theses

AUC New Cairo

AUC Tahrir Square

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