The new, purpose-built IFI building will complete a grouping of five buildings surrounding the Green Oval, which includes Nicely, Jesup, Fisk, and Bliss Halls. It will blend in architecturally and be integrated with the existing open spaces and vegetation, including the landscape of the middle campus. The architects must "meet the challenge of creating a contemporary building in a cherished historical spot."
Guidelines for the building's interior take into account the different users of the Issam Fares Institute, particularly the researchers and other experts who will form the core of this think tank. Visiting scholars, faculty, journalists, diplomats, and policy makers will have private research space, as well as a state-of-the-art reading room and resource database area. There will be a high-tech workshop and conference area with video-conferencing capability and the latest in audio-visual and communication technology.
The Winning Design
London-based
Zaha Hadid, a former AUB student and the first woman to win the prestigious Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 2004, submitted the winning design for the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at AUB.
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Dedication of the Project
"A Regional First: The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs" (Main Gate, Spring 2005)
"Groundbreaking Ceremony for Public Policy Institute" (AUB Bulletin, January 2005)
"A Modern Marvel On The Green Oval" (Main Gate, Fall 2007)