Illinois Tech College of Architecture doctoral candidate Ahmed Ali Hassan was awarded the 2016–17 ARCC King Student Medal for Excellence in Architectural and Environmental Design Research for his doctoral research titled “The BioEnclos© Façade Panel: From selection to design, assessment, and beyond.”

Named in honor of the late Jonathan King, co-founder and first president of the Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC), this award is given to one student per ARCC member college, school, institute, or unit. Selection of recipients is at the discretion of the individual member institutions, but is based upon criteria that acknowledge innovation, integrity, and scholarship in architectural and/or environmental design research.

Hassan’s research aims at developing a revolutionary lightweight façade panel made from Bio-polymeric agri-based materials to replace the conventional curtain wall glass and aluminum panel in office buildings and assess its’ impact on the environment, the building overall energy consumption, thermal performance, and structural stability. This will help in reducing the carbon footprint of the facade significantly, alleviating the amount of construction and demolition waste dumped in landfills each year, decreasing pollution rates, and reducing the overall building weight and energy consumption.