11.4.9 Does your university as a body build on brownfield sites, where possible (brownfield sites are those where there has been previous, recent building)?

BAU participated in Beirut Urban Declaration Conference after Beirut Port Explosion [1]

https://www.bau.edu.lb/Public-Relations/News/BAU-participated-in-Beirut-Urban-Declaration-Conference-after-Beirut-Port-Explosion

The Faculty of Architecture - Design and Built Environment at Beirut Arab University participated in Beirut Urban Declaration Conference for restoration of afflicted areas after the huge explosion that occurred on August four. The conference was organized by the Order of Engineers and Architects in Beirut in cooperation with the Faculties of Architecture in Lebanon whereby this event came after long preparations and workshops in addition to direct field work which started directly after Beirut Port explosion on August 4, 2020.

Since then, Professor Ibtihal El-Bastawissi, the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture- Design and Built Environment, has worked within the organizing committees of the Deans of Faculties of Architecture for Beirut Urban Declaration which included five sessions. She invited a group of university professors from various faculties to participate in all aspects of conference activities in coordination with the Dean of Faculty of Human Sciences, Professor Mayssah El-Nayal. Professor El-Bastawissi also participated in a workshop organized by the Order of Engineers and Architects in Beirut in cooperation with the French government, UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA) in order to achieve this declaration.

The university had interventions in more than one session in the conference where Professor Hassan Hallak gave a lecture entitled "The Economic and Social Role of the Beirut Port," in which he talked about the history of the development of Beirut Port and its economic and social impacts on the city.
Dr. Khaled Sadek gave a lecture under the title of "The Urban Fabric of Beirut between History and the Present" in which he dealt with the development of Beirut's urban fabric during the historical eras that the city has gone through. He mentioned the human values that the city has acquired, which are based on reverence of freedoms, respect of intellectual pluralism and openness to different civilizations.
In the fourth session, Dr. Hiba Mohsen gave a lecture entitled "Rehabilitation and Restoration of Damaged Heritage Buildings", in which she discussed the importance of preserving the heritage and the risks that threatens it, in addition to several proposals for the rehabilitation and construction of old neighborhoods.

In the second day, Dr. Khaled Sadek gave another lecture under the title of "Legislative Frameworks for Reconstruction Management", during which he presented the reality of legislation and the mechanisms available for reconstruction.

The participation of the Faculty of Architecture at Beirut Arab University in launching the field survey of the damaged buildings in Beirut after the bombing [2]

https://www.bau.edu.lb/Public-Relations/News/The-participation-of-the-Faculty-of-Architecture-at-Beirut-Arab-University-in-launching-the-field-survey-of-the-damaged-buildings-in-Beirut-after-the-bombing

A field survey project concerning the public safety and the damaged buildings was launched under the auspices of the Governor of Beirut City, Judge Marwan Abboud, at the Order of Architects and Engineers on the 12th of August 2020. This meeting gathered all the related public and private institutions including the mayor of Beirut, Eng. Jamal Itani, the president of the syndicate, Jad Tabet, the general director of Heritage, Mr. Sarkis Khoury, in addition to a large number of engineers and representatives of the concerned authorities of the reconstruction and planning.

During these meetings with the Lebanese authorities, the Faculty Dean focused on the necessity of coordination between all the sectors of the Lebanese society, including universities that can play a major role to overcome this disaster the soonest possible. In addition, she emphasised on the need to pay great attention on restoring the damaged heritage based on scientific principles and taking advantage of specialist’s experiences as a part of preserving the architectural identity of our cities. This requires gathering all the efforts of academic staff, students and specialists within a comprehensive strategy plan to survey all the damages using geographic information system (GIS), which will be achieved by the OEA.

Accordingly, Prof Ibtihal confirmed putting all the capabilities of the Faculty, professors and students, as well as the BAU Urban lab facilities and expertise. She also stressed on the importance of studying the existing situation of the historic buildings in the affected areas, the methods of protecting them, and the ways of preserving distinct architectural character of the region while developing the needed studies necessary for reconstruction of the city. 

Beirut Explosion Structural Assessment of the Explosion Magnitude [3]

https://www.bau.edu.lb/Public-Relations/News/Beirut-Explosion-Structural-Assessment-of-the-Explosion-Magnitude

After completing the two phases of the Research Project related to Beirut Port Blast, the Research Unit Team deduced the below Summary Research Work which was sent to publication at a highly ranked journal.

On August 4th 2020, tremendous explosion occurred in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, specifically in its port.

The resulting damage was humongous, impacting the city along a radius of about 600m. Series of grains silos adjacent to the center of the explosion, at 85m proximity, had been importantly damaged.

The cause was anticipated to explosion of Ammonium Nitrate that had been stored in the port, of “said” quantity equal to 2750t, whereby different opinions have emerged regarding the amount of the explosive materials and the magnitude of the explosion. The aim of this research work is to define the magnitude of the explosion, using structural engineering approach throughout non-linear finite element modeling of the silos. The magnitude of the explosion is defined as the numerical model magnitude that generated the silos damages. The study is based on silos detailed drawings, data collected from site visits, and the use of the Conventional Weapons Effects Blast Loading (CONWEP) method. In addition, damage assessment for the “standing” silos has been conducted and final recommendations are included. This paper shows that the magnitude of the explosion is smaller than the equivalent TNT of the original declared quantity of stored Ammonium Nitrate.

Research Unit from the Faculty of Engineering completes Phase 2 of Beirut Port Blast [4]

https://www.bau.edu.lb/Public-Relations/News/Research-Unit-from-the-Faculty-of-Engineering-completes-Phase-2-of-Beirut-Port-Blast

The Research Unit Team from the Faculty of Engineering lead by Professor Yehya Temsah and including Dr. Ali Gahami, Colonel Bassam Timani and a group of Lab Technicians moved in their work from Phase 1 to the Phase 2 of the research project related to Beirut Port Explosion the Second Phase consisted of defining the mechanical properties of the Wheat Silos construction materials.

The Team performed a Site visit on September 16, 2020 to the explosion area in order to extract concrete core specimens and reinforcing rebar of different diameters from the Wheat Silos. The collected specimens were transmitted to the material laboratory at Debbieh Campus and were subject to tests in order to define their mechanical properties which is an important constituent part of the third research phase related to the structural analysis.

The Participation of the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture in the OEA Workshop [5]

https://www.bau.edu.lb/Public-Relations/News/The-Participation-of-the-Dean-of-the-Faculty-of-Architecture-in-the-OEA-Workshop

The Participation of the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture in the OEA Workshop on the Reconstruction of the Neighbourhoods affected by the 4th of August Blast within a National Vision for Sustainable Development Policies.

The Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Built Environment, Professor Ibtihal Youssef El-Bastawissi, participated in the workshop organized by the Order of Engineers and Architects in Beirut in cooperation with the French Government, UNESCO, and the International Union of Architects (UIA).

Professor El-Bastawissi participated in the fourth session covering the legal aspects of the reconstruction process. the session was carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and the General Directorate of Antiquities in Lebanon.

While moderating the public discussion panel at the end of the axis, Professor El-Bastawissi stressed on the importance of this axis, as well as all the other axes of the workshop which complement each other and enriched the studies carried out by the Architectural Faculties in Lebanese universities in collaboration with Order of Engineers and Architects in Beirut. Professor El-Bastawissi thanked the President of the OEA, Jad Tabet, for organizing this workshop and for all the efforts he is doing to keep up with the reconstruction of the districts devastated by the explosion of August 4, 2020.

The Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Built Environment, Professor Ibtihal Youssef El-Bastawissi, participated in the workshop organized by the Order of Engineers and Architects in Beirut in cooperation with the French Government, UNESCO, and the International Union of Architects (UIA).

Professor El-Bastawissi participated in the fourth session covering the legal aspects of the reconstruction process. the session was carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and the General Directorate of Antiquities in Lebanon.

While moderating the public discussion panel at the end of the axis, Professor El-Bastawissi stressed on the importance of this axis, as well as all the other axes of the workshop which complement each other and enriched the studies carried out by the Architectural Faculties in Lebanese universities in collaboration with Order of Engineers and Architects in Beirut. Professor El-Bastawissi thanked the President of the OEA, Jad Tabet, for organizing this workshop and for all the efforts he is doing to keep up with the reconstruction of the districts devastated by the explosion of August 4, 2020.

A Research Study Project for Port Beirut Explosion conducted by BAU- Faculty of Engineering [6]

https://www.bau.edu.lb/Public-Relations/News/A-Research-Study-Project-for-Port-Beirut-Explosion-conducted-by-BAU-Faculty-of-Engineering

A research team from Beirut Arab University - Faculty of Engineering led by prof. Yehya Temsah - Assistant dean, professor of structural engineering - conducted a Study Project for the Beirut Port Explosion in collaboration with the Lebanese Army. The project aimed, through structural analysis approach, to define the magnitude of the explosive material weight, the structural response of the Wheat Silos and their protective role.

The preliminary study results were of great importance and the research team was invited to present their study in several local and international scientific discussions.

On one hand, the Research Team Head Prof. Temsah also participated in an international online conference organized by Balamand University- Lebanon Map, entitled “Beirut Blast: A Paradigm Shift in Open Geospatial Data “which was held on November 6 and 7, 2020.

On another hand, Prof. Yehya Temsah and Dr. Ali Jahami - Assistant professor, lecture at the faculty of engineering - participated in a webinar organized by Beirut Order of Engineers and Architects entitled “Beirut Blast: Nature, Magnitude, Observation, Damages and Assessment” which was held on November 13, 2020.

References