Conceptual Design & Design Development Jury
- Ali Al-Qaraghuli
- Ahmed Al-Sabahi
- Christiane Faddoul
- Amy Gardner
- Nathan Heckman
- C N Saquib Iqbal
- Mike Wassmer
Architecture Jury
Amy Gardner
Amy Gardner is a principal in Gardner Mohr Architects LLC and a clinical professor of architecture at the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. She is a two-time veteran of the Solar Decathlon, having stewarded the University of Maryland’s 2007 and 2011 teams to second- and first-place wins, respectively.
Nathan Heckman
President, Radiant Sail
Nathan Heckman’s company, Radiant Sail, specializes in the program management of large healthcare, educational, and institutional projects. Nathan has worked for multiple Fortune 500 companies, one of the premier healthcare networks in the United States, and on several public and private projects spread across Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait. Nathan holds three degrees in engineering from Drexel University and is a graduate of the Wharton Business School– University of Pennsylvania.
Nadia Maqbool
Director, 23 Degrees North
Founded in 2011, 23 Degrees North (23dN) promotes design which is sensitive to the health of the individual, the community, and the environment. 23dN’s work is driven by a desire to respond to the needs of contemporary culture by evaluating and learning from the wisdom embedded within the successful innovations of local/regional tradition. Nadia Maqbool is the first UK-qualified female Omani architect. Nadia’s interest in creating sustainable cultural and environmental diversity is reinforced by her curiosity in how culture, memory, and sustainability can play a positive interpretative role in architecture.
Engineering Jury
Idris Al-Siyabi
Idris Al-Siyabi is a PhD student in Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of Exeter, UK. His research topic is solar thermal energy storage technology. Between 2005 and 2012, Idris had worked as a building service mechanical design engineer in the government sector. His role during this period was to design very efficient heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that complied with universal standards. This required him to perform heat load calculations, energy analysis, equipment sizing, and selection of high performance materials. Between 2012 and 2014, Idris worked as mechanical construction engineer at Petroleum Development Oman Company. His primary responsibility was to supervise the construction of different types of projects.
Mike Brandemuehl
Michael J. Brandemuehl is Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. He performs teaching and research related to the design, operation, and analysis of building energy systems, with emphasis on the modeling and simulation of HVAC&R systems and their controls, smart building systems, and application of renewable energy technologies. Much of his current teaching and research activities grew from his role as faculty advisor for the University of Colorado Solar Decathlon teams, which won the international competition in 2002 and 2005. Prior to joining the Colorado faculty, he worked as a research engineer at United Technologies Carrier and received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering through the Solar Energy Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and a Fellow of ASHRAE. He has served on the ASHRAE Board of Directors and is a past president of IBPSA-USA, the US affiliate of the International Building Performance Simulation Association.
Ammar Mohamed
Sustainability Jury
Ahmed Al-Sabahi
Noor Alzadjali
David Riley
Communications Jury
Hashar Al Manthari
Dhiyab Al-Maskari
Communications & Branding Manager, Electricity Holding Company
Dhiyab has worked in marketing, communications, and branding for more than 9 years. In previous jobs, he has been an account executive, a communications specialist, a marketing/communications manager, and a CSR advisor.
