Built around a central courtyard to create a social node where students meet and interact amongst shaded and naturally ventilated areas.

Drawing inspiration from traditional Iraqi architecture, Basra’s new Oil & Gas University is built around a central courtyard that serves as its primary focal point. Not only does this nexus provide a social node where students can meet and interact, but it also helps reduce the institution’s ecological footprint by creating shaded, naturally ventilated areas for students to relax. In addition to the attractive main building, the project includes several administrative buildings, various colleges, a vast conference hall, central library, laboratories and workshops.

There are also solar and renewable energy generation fields, a recycling zone, and a dedicated area for geological experiments and excavations. The master design carefully arranges the various buildings and structures along two main axes The first axis – perpendicular to the main street is designated as the primary circulation axis along which all public buildings are arranged. The second axis – running from north to west takes into consideration the sun’s path and direction of prevailing winds. The academic buildings are arranged along this axis for optimal comfort and energy efficiency.