Loan agreement for new building at LU

The Government has approved a €21 million ($23 million) loan agreement by the Agence Français de Développement (AFD) to establish a new building for the Institut Superieur des Sciences Appliqués et Économiques Centre Régional Associé CNAM Liban (ISSAE CNAM) and the Faculty of Education in Beirut.

The Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) will manage the project. Marwan Sinno, Chief of Construction Department of CDR, said: “LACECO, a consultancy firm, was commissioned to conduct the studies and maps of the building.” He said that the old building will be destroyed and a new one will be built for CNAM and the Faculty of Education at the Lebanese University.

The building will have a total built-up area of 30,000 square meters, including four floors. According to Marwan Saleh, Design Principal at LACECO, the CNAM building will comprise laboratories, audio-visual rooms, classrooms, and halls. CNAM will have the capacity to accept around 1,500 students. The Faculty of Education will include art, music, and nursing workshops, as well as examination rooms, lecture halls, and parking.

Saleh said that the studies and consultancies require three months to be finalized and then it will be referred to the CDR to announce a tender to choose the contractor. He said that building the project requires around two years.