Suliman S. Olayan School of Business
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At a glance
- Project by: Machado and Silvetti Associates
- Location: Beirut, Lebanon
- Program: Educational building
Preview image
© Fares Jammal
Project images
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Sky view through open atrium © Clement Tannouri View project image |
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View of auditorium with courtyard beyond © Clement Tannouri View project image |
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Building entrance from west with corniche below © Clement Tannouri View project image |
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Main floating staircase © Clement Tannouri View project image |
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Entry triangle below open atrium with café and reading room beyond © Fares Jammal View project image |
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Detail of the building’s “hanging” façade, comprised of pre-cast blocks that replicate the local Forni limestone present in the AUB campus, and a screen-like skin that recalls the wooden mashrabiya which are characteristic of the region © Fares Jammal View project image |
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Evening view of the atrium screen and building entourage © Fares Jammal View project image |
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Evening view from the oval courtyard with the Mediterranean Sea beyond © Fares Jammal View project image |
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Corniche view from north © Fares Jammal View project image |
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Corniche view from north-west © Machado and Silvetti Associates View project image |
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Sections © Machado and Silvetti Associates View project image |
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Level 2 floor plan © Machado and Silvetti Associates View project image |
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Level 3 floor plan © Machado and Silvetti Associates View project image |
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Level 4 floor plan © Machado and Silvetti Associates View project image |
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Parking plan © Machado and Silvetti Associates View project image |
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Site plan © Machado and Silvetti Associates View project image |
Architect's statement
A New Business School for the American University of Beirut:
Selected in an international invited competition, the Olayan School of Business results from focused attention on its program, the production and the transmission of knowledge, the quality of its interior life, and the specific particularities of the school, its personality, and its people.
The building includes, first, a large green oval carefully located on the axis of existing steps that will become a major access to the sea, connecting students from the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, and beyond to the Corniche’s elevated edge. Second, the design creates an L-shaped four-story building with a traversable ground plane consisting of four enclosed pieces. These are grouped around the School’s central space, a triangular open courtyard. Porous and transparent, this floor promotes collegiality, containing the school’s lobby, auditorium, cafÈ and terrace, as well as student facilities, mailboxes, and related social programs.
To clarify way-finding and the building’s legibility, the undergraduate education facilities are located on the second floor, graduate education, the MBA program, on the third, and the Executive Education program on the fourth floor, which also contains the Dean’s Office in its corner. The triangular courtyard joins these three levels, and each overlooks the space, enriching it with their different lives.
The image of the building is one of vernacular precedent and contemporary vision. The “hanging” façade, made of pre-cast blocks replicates the warmth of the local Forni limestone present in the campus, while the openings of the screen-like skin recall the wooden mashrabiya that are characteristic of the region. The façade is arranged in deliberate patterns that relate to the varying needs for light and view within the interior programs. The openings in the screen are tighter on the lower floors to provide shading for classrooms, and become larger towards the top of the building to capture views of the Mediterranean from faculty offices.
Details/Credits
- Project name: Suliman S. Olayan School of Business
- Location: Beirut, Lebanon
- Program: Educational building
- Area: Site area: 50,000 sf • Total built-up area: 135,000 sf (total) • Building area: 65,000 sf (building) • Below-grade parking: 70,000 sf
- Year: Completion: 2009
- More details: Budget: $17 million
- Client: American University of Beirut
- Project by: Machado and Silvetti Associates
- Team: Principal-in-Charge: Rodolfo Machado • Consulting Principal: Jorge Silvetti • Project Director: Michael Yusem • Project Architect/Project Manager: Edwin Goodell • Project Architect: Markus Elkatsha • Design Team: Steven Poon, Jose Ribera, Makoto Abe, Seiee Kim, Stephen Lee, Roberto de Oliveira Castro, Rami el Samahy, Nik Nedev, John Clegg, James Gresalfi, Ted Touloukian, Mark Pasnik
- Others: Architect of Record: Builders Design Consultants (Nabil Azar, Georges Estephan, Lena Estephan, Fawzi Azar, Samir Jamous, Naji Geha, Jihad Abdel Ahad) • Project Manager: Facilities Planning and Design Unit • Landscape Architect: Richard Burck Associates (Richard Burck, Elizabeth Gourley) • Learning Environment Design: Baker Design Group • Lighting Design: Projects and Supplies • Acoustic and IT/AV Design: Arup New York • Quantity Surveyors: D.G. Jones
- Text: Courtesy of Machado and Silvetti Associates
- Images: Courtesy of Machado and Silvetti Associates
Related links
- Editor's picks
- Educational Architecture
- Architecture projects from Lebanon
- Machado and Silvetti Associates website
- Machado and Silvetti Associates
