THE AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY, KARACHI, PAKISTAN
2004 ACEC-NY PLATINIUM AWARD

Green Utilities Planning in Karachi
The Aga Khan University Hospital, a high-level health care campus in Karachi, Pakistan, will undergo a 1.5 million-square-foot expansion in the next decade. The owner’s goal was to develop an integrated utilities and engineering master plan to meet growth needs, while minimizing costs and reducing environmental impacts.

A Guideline for Sustainable Growth
Although the campus will double in size, the plan maintains energy consumption near present levels. New facilities can be constructed cost effectively, with sensitivity to environmental issues and reliability.

The client adopted all of the recommendations in the master plan, embarking on a long-term approach to sustainable utilities engineering unprecedented in this part of the world

Blueprint for Regional Development
The utilities master plan not only provides a blueprint for the campus, it also serves as a successful model for sustainable growth in the region, which faces a population explosion amid dwindling natural resources.

Highlights of the master plan include:

- A 6.0 MW combined power, cooling and heating cogeneration plant, expected to reduce energy use by over 55%
- A solar energy system producing hot water for domestic use
- A solar heating system for an outdoor Olympic-sized pool
- A water purification plant that minimizes the use of chlorine
- A black water treatment plant that conserves 350,000 gallons of water per day for reuse
- Geothermal and wind HVAC systems, energy recovery methods
- Use of green and recycled materials
- Energy consumption will remain near present levels even after campus doubles in size.