The institute is part of the American University of Beirut, where at one time Hadid herself studied at the faculty of mathematics. The new building is located on a small area with a 7 m relief difference between the northern and southern borders, however, the architects were able to place public spaces there, take into account the main directions of movement around the campus and even preserve the 120-180-year-old fig trees and cypresses that grew here earlier. Thus, the building found itself at the crossroads of the main roads of the university campus.
This was achieved thanks to the reduced area of the first floor of the building: above it, it expands significantly, including with the help of a 21-meter cantilever extension. Thanks to this, a two-story front yard is arranged at ground level, and another public space - a terrace - is located on the roof.
The hall for 100 spectators is sunk into the ground and has a separate entrance so as not to disturb students during conferences there. On the ground floor there are offices and seminar rooms, and on the second floor there are research facilities, which can be accessed from the outside via a long, neatly curving ramp around the trees. The institute also has a reading room, studios for conference participants and other spaces united by an atrium.
The Issam Fares Institute, which bears the name of its sponsor - a Lebanese businessman and politician, deals with pressing problems of the Arab world - from the fate of refugees and water scarcity to urbanism and the role of the UN in the Middle East. It is intended to serve as an open forum for discussion on all these topics.
