UPA Italia by Paolo Lettieri Architects

The new campus project is located close to Al Qasim, in the Babil province of Iraq. The program of the newly established University shall be based on Green Technology Educations, comprising five colleges (agriculture, veterinary, biotechnology, food production and environmental college), with the presidency building and all related supportive facilities, including sports hall, main auditorium, central library, entertainment center in addition to student and staff housing.

The main idea of campus masterplan is to arrange it as ancient town – in middle is located the main square surrounded with most representative buildings (presidency, library, auditorium, mosque). The ellipse road defines main academic zone and serves as great infrastructure element for campus. The inner academic zone of ellipse is arranged in multiple levels. The idea about city of multiple levels, for example, was already present in Leonardo da Vinci sketches and as well in nowadays architects' works, like Smithson’s projects. We considered it as most suitable way to develop infrastructure and connections of campus and the upper levels allow continuous paths shaded below. In terms of architectural design, project reflects to local architectural objects, for example Ishtar gates of Babil (colors and glazed tiles). As the bricks have been used here since ancient Babylon time and the site is located on old brick factory, than for us it was obvious to use bricks as main facade material. The use of architectural concrete, colored brown with specific pigments makes reference to modernism university campus of Baghdad University, designed by Gropius. Project also proposes to keep existing terrain as it is, by projecting in lowest existing quarry parts outdoor arena, to remain palm trees and to develop the brown fields, in that way proposing site suitable for academic, agricultural and animal farming requirements.

Our vision of the green university campus is oriented towards the creation of a highly contemporary sustainable campus that confirms to international standards by setting performance goals in five environmental categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, lower energy consumption and reduced co2 emission, material and resources, indoor environmental quality. Some Milestones are: use of renewable energies, use in the campus of electric vehicles, introduction of a system of ready-to-use rental bikes, study of solar orientation for building design. Al Qasim Green University will be the first campus within the wider program to be designed as per LEED criteria and the presidency building will be the first LEED Gold Certificated building in Iraq.

The campus is organized as an ancient city: in the center the main square with the most representative buildings, out of the elliptical "city walls", the fields with the animals. Our vision of a sustainable university campus is geared towards the creation of a contemporary campus, but not technological. This will be the first eco-friendly campus in Iraq and the presidency will be the first LEED-certified building in Iraq.