BEIRUT ARAB UNIVERSITY

SDG 11

SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

THE IMPACT RANKINGS INDICATOR 11.4.9

Brownfield and Previously Developed Site Reuse

Does the University as a body build on brownfield sites where possible

RECOMMENDED RESPONSE

YES

Current evidence reviewed for 2021 to 2026

Prepared for THE Impact Rankings submission

1 Executive assessment

Beirut Arab University should answer YES to Indicator 11.4.9. The strongest current evidence is the contracted 2026 masterplan for the Beqaa Campus. The design does not treat the new development as a separate greenfield project. It links the new plot to BAU's existing campus, retains the existing L-shaped building, upgrades that building without major structural alteration, converts an underused rear courtyard into an entrance piazza, and reactivates its outdoor spaces.

This approach meets the indicator wording supplied by THE, which defines a brownfield site as one where there has been previous recent building. BAU's own records establish that the Beqaa site was already developed: the campus was established in 2011, contains 1,650 square metres of built area, and accommodates the Research Center for Environment and Development and the Alumni Club. The University then opened the academic branch on the same site in September 2024. The 2026 expansion therefore builds from an existing institutional site and integrates earlier buildings into the next phase of development.

The finding is project-specific. The evidence supports a practice of retaining and reusing developed campus assets where the current project makes this feasible. It should not be expanded into a claim that every BAU development is brownfield redevelopment or that the Beqaa land is contaminated or abandoned. The positive response rests on documented integration, upgrade and reactivation of existing buildings and spaces.

Original evidence AKL Architects Beqaa Campus masterplan | Current project page

Original evidence BAU Bekaa Campus profile | Current 2026 page

Original evidence BAU opening of the Bekaa branch | 6 September 2024

2 Assessment scope

2.1 Meaning of brownfield for this indicator

The question supplies a practical definition: brownfield sites are sites where there has been previous recent building. This is broader than regulatory definitions that may require abandonment, dereliction or contamination. The assessment therefore asks whether BAU's development uses a previously built site and whether existing buildings or developed spaces are retained, adapted or reactivated.

Under this evidence standard, an existing operational campus can qualify when a new project builds from its prior development instead of disregarding it. The key facts are the site's existing built condition, the continuity between the old and new development, and the documented treatment of retained structures and spaces.

2.2 Evidence hierarchy

3 Beqaa Campus reuse and expansion

3.1 Existing development before expansion

BAU's current campus profile states that the Beqaa Campus was established in 2011 on land in Jdeita and Taalbayah. It records 183,391 square metres of land and 1,650 square metres of built area, with facilities for the Research Center for Environment and Development and the Alumni Club. These facts establish a developed institutional site before the present expansion project.

BAU's account of the branch's development provides a longer sequence. The University purchased the land in 2008 and inaugurated the Research Center for Environment and Development in 2010. It later obtained academic programme licences and opened selected programmes in the 2024 to 2025 academic year. On 6 September 2024, BAU formally launched the branch with Freshman, Computer Science, Marketing, Management and MBA provision.

Original evidence BAU Bekaa Campus profile | Current 2026 page

Original evidence BAU account of the branch development sequence | 2024

Original evidence BAU branch launch | 6 September 2024

A New Branch for Beirut Arab University in Bekaa

Beirut Arab University's strategy is based on geographical expansion over all Lebanese regions. Therefore, in addition to its main campus in Beirut, and its campus in Debbieh and then Tripoli branch, the university proceeded in building a branch in the heart of the Bekaa area in Jdeita - Chtoura, where it shall start its operation in the academic year 2024/2025.

Professor Sobhi Abou Chahine, Dean of Academic Affairs and International Relations, stated that the objective from opening Bekaa branch is to strengthen the old relationship between Bekaa community and the University which is part of the educational policy to all regions. The University greatly cares about the Bekaa community and it exists to serve them in these difficult economic conditions.

Abou Chahine continued that in 2008, the university bought the land in Bekaa at a strategic location measuring 200 thousand meters on the Jdeita - Chtoura road and inaugurated the Research Center for Environment and Development in 2010. In 2015, the university applied for licenses for some faculties and programs, which it obtained in 2017, but the construction was not complete yet till the crisis began in 2019.

After studying the labour market needs, some programs in Bekaa branch shall open in September 2024. Then, the licensed programs in Bekaa shall follow respectively for some faculties, including: Business Administration, Architecture - Design and Built Environment, Engineering and Science.

Professor Sobhi Abou Chahine stressed that the first academic year in the Bekaa will begin at measured fees due to the economic crisis in the following disciplines:

- Freshman

- Computer Science

- Marketing

- Management

- MBA

Professor Abou Chahine concluded his statement on behalf of Beirut Arab University and its President, Professor Wael Nabil Abdel Salam, promising our people in the Bekaa to open the branch for the academic year 2024/2025 starting from the university’s strategy for all the disciplines required in the region. Hence, Beirut Arab University continues raising the flag of vision, innovation and continuity and it remains a fundamental pillar of the higher education sector in Lebanon and the Arab region.

Beirut Arab University Launched its Branch in Bekaa

Beirut Arab University organized a reception on the occasion of opening its new branch in the heart of Bekaa in Chtoura on a land whose area is 183,391 square metres, as part of its strategy and its commitment to its educational, cultural and social role that focuses on spreading its educational mission to all regions across the country.

After examining labour market needs, BAU launched Bekaa branch offering currently specific majors:

- Freshman

- Computer Science

- Marketing

- Management

- MBA

Along the President of the University Professor Wael Nabil Abdel Salam, President of the Board of Trustees of Wakf El Bir Wal Ihsan, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University Dr. Ammar Houry, Director of Bibliotheca Alexandrina Professor Ahmed Zayed, Vice-President of Alexandria University for Community Service and Environmental Development Professor Said Allam, BAU Secretary General Dr. Omar Houri, Mufti of Zahle and Bekaa Sheikh Dr. Ali Al Ghezzawi, Mufti of Rashaya Sheikh Dr. Wafic Hijazi, Director of Awqaf in Bekaa Sheikh Assem Al Jarrah, Minister of Industry George Pushkian, Deputy Bilal Al Houshaimi, Former Deputies Jamal Al Jarrah, Assem Araji, Mohammad Al Karaawi, Governor of Western Bekaa Wissam Nesbin, Members of Wakf El Bir Wal Ihsan, University Deans, Dean of Academic and International Relations Dr. Sobhi Abou Chahine, Mayors, Presidents of of organizations and associations, Presidents of the hospitals board of directors, a large crowd of educational, economic, municipal, spiritual and social actors, residents of the region and BAU graduates in Bekaa attended the event.

The reception started with the Lebanese national anthem and the University’s anthem, then a documentary about the University was screened. The host of the ceremony Ms. Rima Chehab mentioned in her speech: "The University started in 1960 when Wakf El Bir Wal Ihsan established Beirut Arab University in the capital Beirut in cooperation with the University of Alexandria in the Arab Republic of Egypt, after President Jamal Abdel Nasser expressed his desire to enhance the quality of education and make it possible and accessible to everybody."

Then, the President of the University, Professor Wael Nabil Abdel Salam, said: "I am pleased to welcome you today to the opening of BAU new branch in Bekaa governorate. This important step is a sign for our University's commitment to provide high-quality education to students all over Lebanon."

Professor. Abdel Salam continued: “We know that our students are future leaders and we are committed to helping them realize their dreams and aspirations, by providing quality education, supportive environment, and the unbeatable spirit. Within the framework of realizing the aspirations of the Bekaa people, we are striving to establish new specialized programs that accompany the labour market and also seek to activate already licensed programs such as engineering, health sciences and others, hoping to meet with you next year upon launching these programs.”

In his speech, Mufti of Zahle and Bekaa Sheikh Dr. Ali Al Ghezzawi praised the decision of Beirut Arab University to open its branch in Bekaa, and called institutions to compete for mind-making in order to build the future.

He added: “Lebanon is in need of Arabs so it shall remain a forum for the Arab world, thus, when they give Lebanon, it will plant blossom, and when we grant Lebanon a letter, the letter shall be spoken”.

Therefore, Beirut Arab University follows all new trends in the world of science and knowledge carrying the flag of vision, innovation and continuity where it is concerned with scientific research as an emphasis to strengthen relations with local and international institutions supporting scientific research, to remain a bright torch inherited by generations.

3.2 Current contracted masterplan

The professional project record for the Beqaa Campus identifies the work as a concept design and masterplan with the contract signed in April 2026. The project covers a new multi-faculty campus while connecting it to the existing Beqaa Campus across the road. This timing places the project within the current evidence period and shows that the reuse measures are part of an active institutional development process.

Original evidence Professional project record for the Beqaa Campus | Contract signed April 2026

Beirut Arab University Beqaa campus

Concept Design — Master Plan Contract Signed April 2026.

The BAU Bekaa Campus is a new multi-faculty university campus for Beirut Arab University, located in the agricultural landscape of Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. The project covers a 96,056 m² plot and accommodates 3,240 students across 8 faculties, with a total built area of 27,664 m².

The design is organized around a single central pedestrian spine that runs the full length of the site, connecting all buildings, outdoor spaces, and the existing Beqaa campus across the road. This spine is more than a circulation route — it is the social and spatial heart of the campus, the place where daily academic life unfolds.

The campus is entirely car-free. Vehicles are confined to a peripheral parking zone along the Boudouray Road, while the interior is given entirely to pedestrians, landscape, and slow movement. 86% of the site remains as open green land at full buildout — a figure that reflects the project's core conviction: that a university campus should enhance its landscape rather than consume it.

Buildings are deliberately low — predominantly ground floor and G+1, with selective G+2 volumes where programme requires additional area. They are oriented north-south for passive solar control and natural ventilation, with climatic courtyards between them that improve airflow and reduce heat gain across Lebanon's challenging Beqaa climate.

The architectural language is restrained: mainly exposed concrete, local natural stone, and glass, with planted roofs and warm wood in interior communal spaces. Materials were chosen for durability, low maintenance, and their ability to age well within the agricultural landscape.

The campus is designed to grow in four controlled phases, each independently functional. Phase 1 begins with an extension to the existing building — immediately usable and immediately connected to the new master plan logic. Subsequent phases add faculties, dorms, and sports facilities without disrupting academic life at any stage.

The project carries a clear social message: the campus hierarchy places the Faculty of Health Sciences at the entrance, making care and human life — not administrative power — the first thing visitors encounter. This is architecture with a position.

BAU Bekaa is not architecture that imposes itself on its landscape. It is architecture that listens — to the valley, to the wind, and to the 3,240 people who will call it home.

3.3 Retention and reactivation measures

The architect's project description documents how the expansion works with the already developed campus. A main pedestrian spine links the new plot to the existing campus and extends into the garden of the existing L-shaped building. The two plots are planned to operate as one academic entity rather than as unrelated sites.

The retained building is actively reworked. Its entrance is reversed so that an underused rear courtyard becomes a new entrance piazza aligned with the pedestrian spine. The intervention upgrades the building without heavy structural alteration, changes its orientation within the campus hierarchy and reactivates its external spaces as a social and welcoming interface. The main cluster is also positioned around existing mature trees, retaining site assets within the expanded layout.

Original evidence Architect's full Beqaa Campus project description | Current 2026 project

BEIRUT ARAB UNIVERSITY BEQAA CAMPUS

Project summary

“The campus arrival sequence is conceived as a gradual transition from academic life to institutional representation. Visitors are first welcomed by the Health Sciences faculty, expressing the university’s human-centered values, before arriving at the main administrative building articulated around a central piazza and drop-off. This sequence reinforces openness, orientation clarity, and social interaction while anchoring the administrative core as a visible yet non-dominant institutional landmark.”

1. Campus Identity: Human, Nature, and Continuity Between Existing and New

The campus identity is defined through a strong relationship between human activity, landscape, and spatial continuity, extending beyond the limits of the new plot.

A main pedestrian pathway — conceived as a colonne vertébrale — structures the entire campus and physically and symbolically links the new development to the existing Beqaa campus located on the adjacent plot.

This spine:

• connects all academic buildings, services, and exterior spaces

• crosses the existing road in a controlled and safe manner

• extends seamlessly into the garden of the existing L-shaped building

Through this gesture, the existing building is fully integrated into the new campus masterplan, allowing both plots to function as a single academic entity.

A strategic inversion of the existing building’s entrance transforms an underused rear courtyard into a new entrance piazza, aligned with the spine.

This smart intervention:

• upgrades the existing building without heavy structural alteration

• redefines its orientation and hierarchy

• reactivates its outdoor spaces as a social and welcoming interface

The existing campus is therefore not treated as a leftover or secondary element, but as an active and requalified component of the new academic landscape.

2. A Free-From-Car Campus Strategy

To preserve the agricultural character of the site and prioritize pedestrian experience, the campus is conceived as a car-free environment.

The plot is divided into two complementary zones:

• A vehicular access zone aligned with the Boundary Road, extending its linear logic and accommodating parking, drop-offs, and service access.

• A green landscaped academic zone, entirely dedicated to buildings, outdoor spaces, and student life.

This clear separation enhances safety, comfort, and calmness, reinforcing the campus as a walkable, human-scaled environment.

3. Sustainability, Climate, and Environmental Intelligence

Environmental performance is a fundamental design driver.

All buildings are oriented north–south to:

• optimize solar control

• reduce heat gain in summer

• allow passive heating in winter

A system of patios, courtyards, and voids is strategically introduced within the buildings, responding to dominant wind patterns:

• promoting natural ventilation during summer

• offering protection and controlled air movement in winter

This passive climatic strategy reduces energy consumption while enhancing indoor comfort and reinforcing the connection between interior spaces and the surrounding landscape.

4. The Central Void: Well-Being and Collective Life

At the heart of the campus, a large open area is deliberately preserved, hosting the sports facilities and main football field.

This central void:

• keeps the core of the site open and breathable

• acts as a catalyst for collective life and informal interaction

• reinforces a human-centric approach focused on student well-being and experience

The empty space becomes an active academic ground, where physical activity, social encounters, and campus events naturally converge.

5. The Main Cluster and Institutional Representation

The main cluster of buildings is organized around the administrative core, positioned to incubate the existing mature trees and the open landscape.

The main administrative building:

• opens toward nature

• frames a large outdoor space dedicated to events, ceremonies, and graduation

• establishes a direct dialogue with the site

Rather than imposing itself, the building breathes with the landscape, connects visually with the scenery through an open urban gate.

Its unicity remains legible from afar through its location, scale, and architectural treatment, ensuring institutional visibility without domination.

6. A Clear Political and Social Message

The spatial hierarchy of the campus conveys a deliberate political and social message.

By positioning the Faculty of Health Sciences as a primary building along the main spine, the project:

• places people, care, and well-being at the forefront

• affirms the university’s commitment to society and public health

• reinforces the idea that human life and knowledge precede administration

While the administrative building maintains its symbolic role and visibility, the campus narrative clearly prioritizes people over institutions.

7. Phasing, Flexibility, and Long-Term Growth

The campus is conceived as a phased, adaptable, and scalable system, capable of evolving over time in response to academic growth and demand.

Beyond the global phasing of the campus, large-scale faculties are themselves subdivided into distinct functional zones. This internal zoning strategy allows:

• the construction of major faculties in two or more successive stages

• progressive investment without compromising academic functionality

• immediate operation of the first phase while future extensions remain structurally and spatially anticipated

Each faculty is therefore designed as a complete self-sufficient yet expandable entity, where initial construction delivers full academic autonomy, and subsequent phases can be seamlessly integrated without disrupting campus life or altering the overall architectural coherence.

This allows future expansions to be smoothly “plugged in” without disrupting campus life, ensuring architectural continuity and controlled growth aligned with demand and resources.

8. Material Strategy and Durability

Material choices are guided by durability, sustainability, and low maintenance.

The project favors the use of exposed concrete with minimal or no added finishes, ensuring:

• long-term resistance

• reduced maintenance costs

• architectural honesty and clarity

The materiality reinforces the campus’s relationship with the land, expressing permanence, sobriety, and resilience within the agricultural context of the Beqaa Valley.

4 Supporting reuse of existing campus buildings

4.1 Laboratories within established buildings

BAU's Annual Report for the 2021 to 2022 academic year records the establishment of new laboratories for the Faculty of Health Sciences on the sixth floor of the Hariri Building and for the Faculty of Dentistry on the second floor of the main Beirut Campus building. The same report records planning for an Innovation Hub in the A4 building at Debbieh Campus. These projects placed new academic functions within existing building floors and an established campus building rather than requiring separate sites.

Original evidence BAU Annual Report 2021 to 2022 | Academic year 2021 to 2022

Original evidence BAU Annual Reports index | Current index

4.2 Innovation Hub at Debbieh Campus

On 6 March 2023, BAU launched its Innovation Hub at Debbieh Campus under the Erasmus Plus ELEGANT project. The facility contains a computer laboratory, working areas, learning and training areas, and social and meeting spaces. Read with the annual report's identification of the A4 building, the evidence shows adaptation and equipping of existing campus accommodation for a new institutional function.

This is supporting rather than primary evidence for Indicator 11.4.9 because it concerns internal adaptive reuse rather than a new campus construction site. It nevertheless demonstrates a practical preference for extracting further value from an existing building when the required function can be accommodated there.

Original evidence Launch of the BAU Innovation Hub | 6 March 2023

The Launching of Innovation Hub at Beirut Arab University

In line with his futuristic vision of progress towards creativity, excellence and innovation, Prof. Amr Galal Al Adawi, the President of Beirut Arab University, has launched BAU Innovation Hub at BAU Debbieh Campus. The Center was established within the framework of the Erasmus+ CBHE ELEGANT Project.

BAU Innovation Hub is planned to be one of the most innovative places in Lebanon where students, can gather and share ideas. It has been equipped with a wide range of digital tools and innovative technologies in order to allow students, graduates, researchers, and professionals to collaborate, work together, and share ideas.

The innovation hub includes computer lab, working zones, learning and training zones, as well as several social and meeting zones. Furniture and color schemes were delicately selected to provide all visitors and users with high degree of comfortability within an elegant ambiance.

The innovation Hub aims to achieve the sustainable development goals while creating entrepreneurial environments and participating in international programs.

5 Brownfield knowledge and professional capacity

5.1 BAU research on brownfield regeneration

A 2022 article in BAU's Architecture and Planning Journal examines brownfield regeneration as an instrument of sustainable urban development. The paper addresses the economic, environmental and social dimensions of regenerating previously used land and develops recommendations through literature review, field work and questionnaires.

This publication is not evidence that BAU constructed a campus on an abandoned or contaminated site. Its value is institutional: the University hosts current scholarship that explains the rationale and methods of brownfield regeneration. That knowledge is consistent with the 2026 Beqaa masterplan's practical retention and reactivation of existing assets.

Original evidence BAU Architecture and Planning Journal brownfield study | 2022

5.2 Professional framework for rehabilitation

In June 2026, BAU and the Order of Engineers and Architects in Beirut signed a five-year agreement covering architectural design, heritage building rehabilitation and preservation, sustainability and modern architectural technologies. The agreement also provides for architectural studies and urban projects with municipalities and local authorities.

The agreement is supporting evidence of current institutional capacity to assess rehabilitation and reuse options. It does not replace the direct project evidence from Beqaa, but it strengthens the professional framework within which future retention and brownfield decisions can be developed.

Original evidence BAU and Order of Engineers and Architects agreement | 22 June 2026

Beirut Arab University and the Order of Engineers and Architects in Beirut Sign a Five-Year Strategic Cooperation Agreement

Beirut Arab University, represented by its President, Professor Wael Nabil Abdel Salam, has signed a five-year cooperation agreement with the Order of Engineers and Architects in Beirut, represented by its President, Engineer Fadi Hanna. The agreement aims to strengthen the partnership between both institutions in the fields of training and knowledge exchange, while developing the skills of students and alumni from BAU’s Faculty of Architecture – Design and Built Environment to meet modern labor market demands.

The signing ceremony was attended by key figures from both institutions, including Dr. Omar Houri, BAU Secretary-General; Professor Sobhi Abou Chahine, Dean of Academic Affairs and International Relations; Professor Hania Nakkash, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research; Professor Hassan Abdel Salam, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture – Design and Built Environment; and Dr. Heba Mohsen, Assistant Dean, alongside a distinguished delegation from the Order of Engineers and Architects.

This agreement aligns with both parties' shared commitment to supporting applied education and exchanging professional expertise. It establishes a framework for organizing targeted training courses for BAU architecture students and alumni. These programs are designed to enhance their capabilities in architectural design, heritage building rehabilitation and preservation, sustainability, and the application of modern architectural technologies.

Furthermore, the agreement sets the stage for joint events and collaborative developmental projects. Both institutions will co-host specialized lectures, conferences, exhibitions, and workshops. They will also share expertise and partner on architectural studies and urban projects in close coordination with municipalities, local authorities, and relevant institutions.

As part of their mutual dedication to advancing the field, BAU’s Faculty of Architecture – Design and Built Environment will leverage its academic expertise and academic personnel to support the establishment of the Order of Engineers and Architects' Urban Observatory. This initiative will significantly boost the role of research and strategic planning in the continuous development of Lebanon's built environment.

Representatives from both Beirut Arab University and the Order of Engineers and Architects in Beirut emphasized that this agreement represents a major milestone in strengthening institutional cooperation. By opening new avenues for students and alumni to acquire practical, hands-on experience, the partnership is set to drive innovation and support ongoing development within Lebanon's architecture sector.

6 Evidence mapping for Indicator 11.4.9

The following matrix maps the verified evidence to the indicator. Direct project evidence is separated from supporting institutional practice so that the submission remains precise.

7 Conclusion

Beirut Arab University should answer YES. The current Beqaa Campus masterplan is direct evidence that BAU builds from previously developed land and existing buildings where the project allows. The established campus and its 1,650 square metres of built area predate the 2024 academic branch and the 2026 expansion. The contracted masterplan retains the existing building, improves it without major structural intervention, reuses an underused courtyard and connects the old and new plots as one campus.

BAU's use of existing buildings for laboratories and the Innovation Hub provides further evidence of a broader reuse practice. Its brownfield research and current professional agreement on rehabilitation and sustainability strengthen the institutional capacity behind that practice. The submission should present this as a documented, current and project-specific approach to brownfield and previously developed site reuse.

8 Original evidence register

The report uses official BAU sources and direct professional project records. Each source is linked below.

Evidence reviewed on 16 October 2026