AKTC / Cemal Emden
Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon - The building emerges from the geometries of intersecting routes as a series of interlocking platforms and spaces for research, engagement and discourse.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
The IFI was established as a neutral, dynamic, civil, and open space where people representing all viewpoints in society can gather and discuss significant issues - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
A ramp leads between the centenary aged Ficus and Cypress trees to connect the research lounges on the second floor directly with the campus - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
Internal partitions are in ink-pigmented glass to enable communication and interaction - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
The design reduces the building's footprint by "floating" a reading room, a workshop conference room and research spaces above the entrance courtyard in the form of a 21-metre-long cantilever in order to preserve the existing landscape - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon. Auditorium capacity is 100 seats, an individual entry was proposed so that the Institute can host large conferences and presentations without disrupting students, fellows and researchers working throughout the building.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
In addition to the lounge, the auditorium itself also has very functional supporting spaces such as a breakout room, translators room, projection room, control room and toilets - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
The exposed concrete roof terrace where impressive views can be found, it overlooks the landscape and the Mediterranean sea to the north - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
The building emerges from the geometries of intersecting routes as a series of interlocking platforms and spaces for research, engagement and discourse - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
The lounge space, the lobby and the terrace promote an even greater interaction between the users, especially during the morning hours of meetings and during lunch hours - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
Some of the larger items of furniture, such as the big table in the conference room, were designed by the architect and due of their size, built on site - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
The IFI was established as a neutral, dynamic, civil, and open space where people representing all viewpoints in society can gather and discuss significant issues - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
Due to the mild weather in Beirut, the need for heating and cooling is very low throughout the year, still the highest standard of thermal insulation was integrated, by providing thick concrete walls with internal insulation covered by gypsum panels - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
A ramp leads between the trees to connect the research lounges on the second floor directly with the campus, while the first floor seminar room and offices are accessed at grade from the east and public courtyard to the west - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
The project introduces a system of ramps within its site, enabling a connection with the upper and middle campus for pedestrians and wheelchair users - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
A ramp leads between the centenary aged ficus and cypress trees to connect the research lounges on the second floor directly with the campus - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
One of the main aims of the architect with the division of space by glass walls was to create this transparency of space throughout the interiors - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
Internal partitions are in ink-pigmented glass to enable communication and interaction - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
Interior view of the reading room - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
The massing and volume distribution fits well in its topography and the building feels very subtle in its location due to its form and appearance - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
View of the eastern entrance created in the concrete structure - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
Passive design measures, high efficiency active systems and recycled water technologies minimise the building’s impact on the local and wider environment - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
Situated on the upper campus, together with four surrounding historic buildings, the Issam Fares Institute crowns the equally historic Green Oval, which is one of the most important open green areas on the AUB campus - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
View of the IFI at dusk.The fair-faced concrete used in the building is constructed to the highest standards and is a well-suited material for this building and the local climate - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
The project is a great asset to the campus, AUB and Beirut. The professionals describe the design as very contemporary, representative of its time and one that pushes the physical abilities of the materials used to the limit, while the art community views the building as a piece of art - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
The total surface of the fair-faced concrete in the building is 6,000 m2. Although the construction technology of producing in-situ fair-faced concrete is not new in Lebanon, credit should be given to the local builders and technicians for the high quality finishing - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon - The design reduces the building's footprint by "floating" a reading room, a workshop conference room and research spaces above the entrance courtyard in the form of a 21-meters-long cantilever in order to preserve the existing landscape.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
The windows throughout the building and in the office spaces provide sufficient light during the whole day, while the west-facing glazed walls of the conference and the reading rooms on the fourth and fifth floor provide a perfect light for users - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
Routes, views and links within the campus converge to define the IFI as a three-dimensional intersection; a central hub for students, faculty, researchers and visitors - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
The glass wall on the western side of the building, on the fourth and fifth floors, gives to the reading and conference/workshop rooms an impressive view onto the immediate landscape and the old trees - Issam Fares Institute, Beirut, Lebanon.
AKTC / Cemal Emden
This page is also available inIssam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs
Award Cycle: 2014-2016 Cycle
Status: Award Recipient
Country of origin: Lebanon
Location: Beirut, Lebanon
Client: American University of Beirut
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
Design: 2007-2008
Size: Site area: 7'000 m2; Built area: 3’000 m2
Completed: 2014
A new building, radical in composition but respectful of its traditional context, “floats” above an exterior courtyard. The American University of Beirut (AUB) held an invited competition for the design of a structure to accommodate a modern-day think tank on its lush middle campus, one that was in harmony with the rest of the university, especially mindful of the surrounding greenery, and to preserve, as far as possible, existing sightlines to the Mediterranean. The building had to fit into another stage in the implementation of a master plan for AUB, whose upper campus overlooks the water, and whose lower campus is located on the seafront. The architect responded to the project brief by producing a design that significantly reduces the building's footprint by "floating" a reading room, a workshop conference room and research spaces above the entrance courtyard in the form of a 21-metre-long cantilever in order to preserve the existing landscape. The 3,000 square metre building is defined by the routes and connections within the university; the building emerges from the geometries of intersecting routes as a series of interlocking platforms and spaces for research and discourse. The massing and volume distribution fits very well with the topography, and the nearby Ficus and Cyprus trees are perfectly integrated with the project. The building’s construction is a continuation of the 20th century Lebanese construction culture of working with fair-faced concrete.