The University of Balamand was established in 1988 by the Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch in the Kura Mountain, north of Lebanon. The campus sits on a magnificent hill dominated by our Lady of Balamand Church, with staggering views to the Mediterranean. Following an erratic rapid growth, the university embarked on the preparation of a master plan, aiming to put order to the early expansion of the campus and to transfer its administrative functions into a dedicated building, to be named after the founder. The project brief called for the housing of the President and Vice-Presidents offices in addition to meeting and function facilities, the various departments of admission, finance, development and planning as well as the university clock tower.

The project occupies a sloping triangular site along the pedestrian ‘Path of Learning’ which bisects the campus. Based on a courtyard typology, the building adapts to the contours of the site by gently folding around an introverted patio and extending a wing outwards to delineate a ceremonial and inviting space for visitors. The clock tower, treated as a free-standing sculptural element at the bottom of a water cascade, defines the edge to the project and anchors it as a point of reference for the campus. Whereas the front suggests formality and urban scale, the courtyard induces intimacy around an old oak tree recalling the early church schoolyard in mountain villages. At the upper part of the site, the linear expression of the building becomes a natural backdrop to the athletic field and provides a direction promoting the development of a central promenade along the pedestrian spine.