The Issam Fares Institute (IFI) for Public Policy and International Affairs on Lebanon’s American University of Beirut campus has reached completion.
Designed and built by world-renowned Zaha Hadid Architects, the in-situ concrete IFI structure measures at 3,000m2 and was designed to reduce its carbon footprint.
By ‘floating’ above ground, IFI’s building is lifted above the entrance courtyard to preserve the surrounding landscape.
A ramp leads visitors and students between the existing trees to connect the research lounges on the second floor directly with the campus.
ZHA said: “The first floor seminar room and offices are accessed at grade from the east and public courtyard to the west. These routes meet within the IFI to describe the atrium hall; establishing the institute as a crossroads – a central hub for students, faculty, researchers and visitors.”
The new building includes a reading room, conference workshops, research rooms and a 100-seat auditorium.
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