Staff Profiles: "The Green Guy"

Mohammad Tassi

Mohammad Tassi, the project manager of the Facilities, Planning, and Design Unit, is known by his colleagues as "the green guy." In other words, he is the person who is devoted to the "greening" of buildings, old and new, on the AUB campus.

Recognized as the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accredited professional in Lebanon, Tassi sat for a tough examination in June 2007 to receive his LEED accreditation. He says that to earn certification, buildings must conform to certain requirements concerning location, water efficiency, energy, indoor environmental quality, and other considerations. Several of AUB's new buildings qualify as such, with their specialized landscaping, low water consumption, and smart lighting systems. The Hostler Student Center, for example, which uses plants needing little water and innovative water technology, is one of them.

Tassi received both his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering (1997) and master's degree in engineering management (2004) from AUB. After working as a mechanical engineer with ISACO in Lebanon, he joined AUB as a mechanical project engineer and became engaged in the preparation of project bid documents and site supervision. In January 2003, he joined the Facilities, Planning, and Design Unit and over the last six years has worked on more than ninety separate projects on the AUB campus.

Tassi's interest in "green" construction emerged in his work as a mechanical engineer. "We deal so much with energy. A good deal of energy consumption in any building has to do with mechanical engineering. So when you talk about heating, air conditioning, pumping water, chilling water, and the like, it's all mechanical and more than half a building's plans." AUB's Master Plan, says Tassi, aims at "taking the old buildings and bringing them up to date from the point of view of energy, comfort, and health."

At any one time, Tassi is working on a number of engineering projects at AUB, both large and small. He points to the chilled water plant, the Irani Oxi-Engineering Complex, the ramp for the handicapped at West Hall, the agricultural landscape between the physics and agriculture buildings. One of his favorite projects tackled the polluted indoor environment in Jafet Library-a difficult challenge because many major systems, including air conditioning, had to be changed to ensure quiet spaces for students studying. "We had to maintain a very tight, exact schedule and worked on it for eight months every single day."