a b s t r a c tIn hot dry climates, it is estimated that almost half the urban peak load of energy consumption is used to satisfy air-conditioning cooling demands in summer time. Since the urbanization rate in developing countries -like the case in Egypt -is rising rapidly, the pressure placed on energy resources to satisfy inhabitants' indoor comfort requirements is consequently increasing too. This paper introduces passive cool roof as a means of reducing energy cooling loads for satisfying human comfort requirements in a hot climate. A designed algorithmic hybrid matrix was used to simulate 37 roof design probabilities alternating roof shape, roof material and construction. The result of using a vault roof with high albedo coating shows a fall of 53% in discomfort hours and saves 826 kW h during the summer season compared to the base case of the conventional non insulated flat roof in a typical Cairo residential buildings. It is recommended that the selected cool roof solution be combined with natural ventilation to increase the indoor thermal comfort, and with passive heating strategies to compensate the increase in heating hours. The application is intended for low cost residential buildings in a hot dry climate.

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HOUCH YGAMA’NA[1] is a participatory ‘design and build’ project piloted in 2014 that aims to create age and gender inclusive child-friendly spaces that foster children’s imagination and enhance their physical, cognitive, emotional and social development. This paper focuses on the narrative of the project implemented in the Central Public Park of New Damietta, Egypt. The project entailed applying a set of urban and design practices centred around a socially engaging mobile installation all aiming to bring the users of the park from the Egyptian community and newly settled Syrian community together to collaborate in reshaping and developing their outdoor environment with the overarching aim of Integrating the local Syrian population in their host society and linking them to one of the active local associations in the area :Terre Des Hommes . The project is a manifestation of the socio-spatial dimension to placemaking where the produced public space is ‘’both a product and producer of change’’(Gottdiener M., Hutchison R., 2011); as the created space is not only a collaborative effort by the local community, but also a tool within the overall process to achieve the project’s overarching goal. [1] HOUCH YGAMA’NA : Figurative translates from Arabic as ‘ A schoolyard for all’