In addition to university resources, faculty expertise, and core facilities, LDEM students benefit from the following facilities:
Studios
The four spacious and light-filled studios, surrounded by greenery and in close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, provide students with a fully-equipped working environment that accommodates for their individual and group activities, project reviews, and academic and social activities. Studios are furnished with state-of-the-art facilities, such as pinning boards, sound systems, cameras, tripods, and spot lighting, which allow for a distinctive learning experience inside and outside the studio (online learning). With two studios located on the first floor and another two on the second floor, one studio per year group, students enjoy an open access to all studios in which collaboration and exchange of ideas thrive between year groups. The studios are always supported by a dedicated IT team who ensures that networks run smoothly.
LDEM Student Lounge
Students gather in the Student Lounge for coffee breaks between classes
(where there is also a fridge and a microwave), for social gatherings, and
sometimes for intellectual conversations. The lounge is equipped with three
computers, supported by an IT specialist, installed with various design software
and a multi-use printer.
Outdoor Classrooms
Students enjoy an outdoor learning experience in the two outdoor classrooms located on the back terraces of LDEM. These classrooms house various hands-on and design courses such as the plant material course and landscape planting design. Both classrooms overlook the Mediterranean Sea and are furnished with tables, chairs, high tables, and stools, with full Wi-Fi access.
Model-making Room
The model-making room, located immediately adjacent to the outdoor classrooms, is equipped with a wood laser cutter and engraving machine, a 3D printer, a students' plotter, and a student work space.
Seminar Rooms and Classrooms
Lecture classes for the BLA
program take place in FAFS-housed classrooms and in LDEM-housed seminar room.
All classrooms are furnished with a standard arrangement of presentation
equipment that provide our faculty with the finest multimedia tools for their
instructional needs.
The FAFS Computer Lab
LDEM students have full access to the FAFS computer lab which is equipped with GIS, AutoCAD, and other design software, and which is continuously supported by IT services.
The FAFS Eco-Unit
The FAFS Eco-Unit includes open spaces and greenhouses for the propagation and production of native and ecologically adapted landscape plants. This area is also used for teaching, research, and outreach activities. The FAFS Eco-Unit is used by the Department of Agriculture and the LDEM Department.
The FAFS Eco-Unit currently includes:
- a glasshouse containing eight growing compartments
- open land for projects and research experiments
- a plant propagation greenhouse
- a vermicompost experimental setup
The Eco-Unit is currently
under renovation. Once completed, it will harbor a small-scale botanic garden
and an outdoor classroom area. For the Eco-Unit brochure, click
here.
Teaching activities in the Eco-Unit area:
Laboratory activities for various courses in Landscape Design and Agriculture: Several courses from the Department of Landscape Design (such as Horticulture and Soil Science) and several courses from the Department of Agriculture (such as Soil Science, Weed Science, and Plant Sciences) include lab components that are held at the Eco-Unit. Experiments range from various horticulture techniques, plant diseases, soil samples, nutrition deficiency trials, and fertilizer effects.
Plant production, organized by students, for various projects:
Each year, LDEM students use the area to produce a variety of plants for several experiential activities. The plants may be used for various student projects and for the annual student-organized plant sale that allows the campus community to engage with the general public.
Outreach activities in the Eco-Unit area:
Plants produced are
frequently used for child education programs from different schools and
organizations. AUB invites schools to visit the Eco-Unit to expose students to
outdoor activities and connect them with the natural world. During these
visits, students can learn about edible gardens, plant biology, composting,
earthworms, and much more.
AUB Beqaa Campus
AREC
(Advancing Research Enabling Communities Center) includes classrooms,
labs, studios, open spaces for hands-on applications, and a native
landscape tree and shrub nursery.
Additional Facilities
Students have full access to equipment to measure water quality, soil physical properties, and plant tissue analysis and surveying equipment, under the supervision of LDEM faculty members.