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A
birds eye view of the winning building design |
London-based Zaha
Hadid, a former AUB student and the first woman to receive the prestigious
international Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 2004, won the design
competition for the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and
International Affairs building at AUB.
The Issam Fares Institute (IFI), founded in 2004 through a generous pledge
from the Issam Fares Foundation, is
envisioned to become one of the most credible public policy and
international relations think tanks in the Middle East. The new IFI building
will be located on the University’s upper campus, on a beautiful site lying
north of the Green Oval, close to Nicely Hall. As a locus of reflection and
interaction among academics and policy experts, it will organize seminars
and conferences and establish a resource database library of information on
contemporary policy issues.
During a well-attended ceremony held on February 20 in West Hall to announce
the winning design, President John Waterbury congratulated Zaha Hadid’s
associates for coming up with "a very challenging, very futuristic design
that conforms and fits with the surrounding buildings on the Green Oval."
Among those attending the ceremony was Culture Minister Tarek Mitri and a
number of prominent architects, as well as members of the AUB faculty and
staff.
Provost Peter Heath, noting former Deputy-Prime Minister Issam Fares’
generous donation and "significant commitment" to the success of the new
institute, said, "It is fitting that a research center of such unique
promise should find its home in a world-class building of great artistic
merit and functional distinction….the decision to adopt the design prepared
by an architect of the high quality and wide recognition of Zaha Hadid
brings particular satisfaction."
Paul Salem, director-general of the Issam Fares Foundation, thanked AUB for
its "great energy and dedication" in organizing the design competition and
all the architects "for putting their hearts into this endeavor." He said,
"Of course, we had to have one winner, and the winning group presented a
very powerful and inspiring project….I think we are off to a spectacular
start."
Salim Abdul-Jaleel, a member of the Zaha Hadid team also expressed thanks to
everyone, in particular to the Facilities, Planning and Design Unit, which
managed the competition.
Zaha Hadid’s design of the IFI building is remarkable in its simplicity and
sophistication. It admirably meets the programmatic requirements of the IFI
in terms of large- and small-scale meeting spaces, offices, open work
spaces, and areas for quiet reflection and interaction. It offers a dynamic,
fluid structure oriented along an east-west axis that respects the existing
luxuriant planting of the campus and forms a stunning statement to the
northern side of the Green Oval. It combines two essential features of the
site and the program: it gives a distinct identity to the institute as a
think tank, while integrating the building functionally into the larger
instructional needs of the University.
It will replace the Gulbenkian University Health Services building, whose
functions as the university infirmary will be moved to Building 56, adjacent
to the AUB hospital. The latest new structure to be built on the upper
campus, the IFI building will be a twenty-first-century statement,
respectful yet distinct among the surrounding nineteenth-century structures.
It is balanced, simple, functional, and pure Zaha Hadid.
The winning design, chosen from the five finalists by a nine-member jury
consisting of prominent academics and architects, received the unanimous
vote of the jury. All the designs submitted by the competing international
architectural firms were required to provide comprehensive professional
design services, extending from schematic and detailed design to
construction and tender documents for the building.
Below is the list of competitors and members of the jury.
Competitors
Of the eleven firms that submitted designs, the following five architectural
firms were chosen as finalists:
CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares Architects, Boston, in association with Erga
GROUP, Beirut. CBT is known for its depth of experience with academic
buildings, including projects for many of the leading colleges and
universities in the United States. The firm won a two-part competition for
Olympic West Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Hashim Sarkis, Beirut, in collaboration with Anmahian Winton Architects,
Cambridge, MA. Hashim Sarkis pursues a synthesis between the urban,
landscape, and architectural aspects of a project. Anmahian Winton
integrates architecture, building technique, construction detail, and
industrial design. Their collaboration integrates a broad spectrum of design
issues.
Office dA, Boston, in partnership with Rafik El-Khoury and Partners, Beirut,
and in association with Vladimir Djurovic, Beirut. The projects of Office dA
aim at achieving a high level of detail, while addressing the larger context
through a careful consideration of landscape, urbanism, and architecture.
This integrated approach is reflected in the planning of institutional
buildings.
Vincent James Associates Architects, Minneapolis, in collaboration with
Samir Khairallah and Partners, Beirut. A collaborative team that focuses on
cultural, social, and environmental issues in relation to architecture,
material, and space. They participated and won first prize in the
architectural competition for the Charles W. Hostler Student Center and
Corniche Frontage at AUB.
Zaha Hadid Architects, London. Zaha Hadid is a famed international architect
who consistently pushes the boundaries of architecture as a whole. Her work
encompasses all fields of design, ranging from urban projects to products,
interiors, and furniture.
Jury
To evaluate the entries and select the winning design for the IFI building,
AUB assembled a jury of distinguished Lebanese and international experts,
consisting of:
John Waterbury, chairman of the jury. The president of AUB, Waterbury has
worked for forty years in the field of Middle East studies, with research
interests in water development policies and political economy. He chaired
the jury for the Charles W. Hostler Student Center and Corniche Frontage
Design Competition, as well as for the Olayan School of Business Design
Competition.
Roueida Ayache, one of eight partners of Architecture-Studio, which has won
awards in a number of international competitions. She is currently involved
in the restoration of the Grand Theatre, Beirut, and was a jury member for
the design competition of Martyrs’ Square and the Grand Axis of Beirut.
Donald Bates, director of LAB architecture studio (Melbourne, London,
Beijing), has been a professor of architecture in the United States, Europe,
and Australia. LAB designed Melbourne’s award-winning Federation Square, and
Bates has served on several juries, including the one for Martyrs’ Square
and the Grand Axis of Beirut.
Stephen A Campbell, architect and president of Phoenix Sustainable
Management Group, New York, who was involved in the development of building
guidelines for New York City’s Department of Design and Construction. He is
currently visiting assistant professor of architecture at AUB.
Nabil Gholam, architect and principal of NGAP, who set up his firm in Beirut
in 1994 and now also has an office in Barcelona. He is the winner of several
awards and distinctions, including the Cityscape and Architectural Review
award.
Barbara Hoidn, internationally known for her work in architectural design
and urban development, has been involved in public urban development in
Berlin since its reunification. She served on the jury committee for the
Charles W. Hostler Student Center and Corniche Frontage Design Competition.
Jala Makhzoumi, associate professor and coordinator of the Landscape Design
and Eco-Management Program at AUB. She is a member of the AUB Campus
Planning Committee and serves as technical advisor on planning and
management of the campus landscape. She is also a member of the UN-HABITAT
Advisory Council for the Reconstruction of Iraq.
Robert Saliba, who has taught at a number of universities, among them AUB,
is currently associate professor and coordinator of the graduate program in
Landscape Urbanism at Notre Dame University, Lebanon. A recipient of the
British Chevening Award, he is the author of two books on Lebanese
architecture and postwar reconstruction.
George Arbid, deputy jury member, is a practicing architect and assistant
professor of architecture at AUB, where he teaches architectural design,
regional architecture, and history of modern architecture. His area of
expertise is modern architecture in Lebanon.
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