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Khaled Tarabieh

  • Position: University Architect and Associate Professor
  • Department: Department of Architecture
  • Email: ktarabieh@aucegypt.edu
Brief Biography

Khaled Tarabieh is the University architect and an associate professor of Sustainable Design at The American University in Cairo (AUC). He is a holder of a Bachelor of Science in architectural engineering from Alexandria University and both a master's in city planning and a PhD in city and regional planning from the University of Pennsylvania, with a specialization in the planning of energy-efficient urban environments, high-performance building design, certification, and assessment. Before joining AUC, he worked as an assistant professor of sustainable design at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport, as well as an adjunct professor at Drexel University. He served as the technical adviser for the development of the energy section for the new Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) rating system with The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), a co-founder of the Egyptian Green Building Council (EGGBC), and a former affiliate with the T.C. Chan Center for Building Simulation and Energy Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where he took part in the development of the Qatari Sustainability Assessment System (QSAS) in Qatar. 

Tarabieh is a LEED-accredited professional and initiator of the LEED lab at AUC in collaboration with the United States Green Building Council, a QSAS-certified green professional with expertise in green buildings design, construction, and assessment using different types of rating systems. He was selected as one of 21 emerging leaders from the Delaware Valley Region (PA-NJ-DL) for a prestigious year-long fellowship program, the Environmental Leadership Program, to enhance the environmental movement's capacity. In addition to his academic work, he has developed 25 years of experience as a professional architect and project manager in the US and served as the director of project management for real estate services for the University of Pennsylvania, where he managed a portfolio of healthcare, office, and residential projects. He provides professional training and support in the areas of LEED, EDGE, and BREEAM certification, green building design, international building codes, and sustainable urban planning.

At AUC, he heads the office of the University architect comprised of the campus planning office, sustainability office, space management, furniture, and document control. He is responsible for AUC’s New Expansion Campus 2026, the existing campus buildings and built environment, and off-campus real estate facilities.  He participates in the teaching of sustainability in the architectural design core studio, Professional Practice, Design Management, and Codes, LEED GA prep courses, and serves as a frequent adviser to the graduation project studio. He is a member of the Building Sciences Lab – The Sustainable Design Group, an adviser and developer of the University carbon footprint AUC report, and the past chair of the AUC COP27 Task Force. He currently serves on the International Code Council – Sustainability Membership Council board, and is an active member of the Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality committee under the Housing and Research Building Center – Ministry of Housing. 

Research Interest
  • Thermal performance of building envelope materials for residential buildings in Egypt
  • Development of thermally efficient, light, and cost-effective building materials for Agile buildings
  • Experimental testing and optimization of smart façade architecture
  • Carbon offsets and footprint accounting for educational buildings
Education
  • PhD in City and Regional Planning (2009). School of Design, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA – USA.
  • Master of City Planning (2000). School of Design, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA – USA.
  • Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Architecture (1994). Architectural Engineering Department, Alexandria University - Egypt.

Recent Publications and Conference Presentations

  • M Khairy, Z. A., A. Abodonya, O. ElKadi, K. Tarabieh, K. Nassar, E. Yazeed. (2024). Integrating Cob-Earth Material and Sand-Filled Plastic Bottles to Combat Environmental Challenges: A Sustainable Construction Solution. The 2nd International Conference on Sustainability: Developments and Innovations, KSA.

  • M. Khairy, Z. M., A. Abodonya, O. El Kadi, K. Tarabieh, K. Nassar. ,. E. Sayed-Ahmed. (2023). Integration of Plastic Bottles with Earth Materials for Insite Construction Modules. The Canadian Society for Civil Engineering CSCE Annual Conference May 24-24, 2023, Moncton, NB, Canada.

  • Nessim, M. A., Elshabshiri, A., Bassily, V., Soliman, N., Tarabieh, K., & Goubran, S. (2023). The Rise and Evolution of Wind Tower Designs in Egypt and the Middle East. Sustainability, 15(14), 10881.

  • 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.

  • Shoukry, F., Goubran, S., & Tarabieh, K. (2023a). Drawing Parallels between Cities and Universities in Calculating GHG Emissions: What Can Three Universities Teach Us About Carbon Footprint Reporting? SSRN, 

  • Shoukry, F., Goubran, S., & Tarabieh, K. (2023b). Perceived Comfort in University Classrooms Post the Pandemic: Interpretations Considering the Carbon Footprint of Learning Spaces. 508–532.

  • Tarabieh, K., & Goubran, S. (2023). Turning Climate Mitigation Concerns into Institutional Sustainability: Using Carbon Accounting as a Tool for Resource Management in a Desert Environment. In Sustainable Practices in Higher Education: Finance, Strategy, and Engagement (pp. 165–195). Springer International Publishing Cham.

  • Walker, T., Tarabieh, K., Goubran, S., & Machnik-Kekesi, G. (2023c). Sustainable Practices in Higher Education: Finance, Strategy, and Engagement. Palgrave Macmillan.

  • Hosny, O., Dorra, E., Tarabieh, K., Eslamboly, A. E., Abotaleb, I., Amer, M., Gad, H. Kh., Farouk, M., Raouf, Y. A. E., & Sherif, A. (2023). Economic Land Utilization Optimization Model. Sustainability, 15(3), 2594–2615.

Selected Publications in Ranked Journals

Selected list of Indexed Conference Publications

Book Chapters and Reports