BDP DESIGNS NEW UNIVERSITIES IN LIBYA
4 Jan 2008



Building on a decade of experience in university and college masteplanning in the UK and Ireland, BDP has won the commission to design seven new universities as part of a major programme of educational development by the ODAC (Organisation for the Development of Administrative Centres) an agency of the Libyan Government.

Two of the universities are located within coastal towns to the west of Tripoli and one in the mountainous area which lies 50 km to the south. The other four complexes are located within the Sahara Desert 1,000 km south of Tripoli. These will serve neighbouring communities in Libya as well as the wider regions of sub-Saharan Africa.

The design ideas are shaped around the differing climatic factors of the localities, determining strong environmental and social groupings to the buildings and public spaces.

Created as ‘variations on a theme’ the designs build on the academic plans set within the overall programme, to create a commonality and efficiency of built and special elements while bringing individual identity through response to local settings, microclimate and culture.

BDP has been commissioned on an interdisciplinary basis including masterplanning, architecture, space planning, structural and environmental engineering, sustainability, acoustics, lighting and landscape design. Infrastructure engineering is by Scott Wilson and fire engineering by Tenos.



Info + images from BDP 040108



BDP is presently also masterplanner for the universities of York, Sunderland, Birmingham City, Worcester, Anglia Ruskin, East London, Glasgow, Newport and Limerick. BDP is also masterplanning new further education colleges in Norwich, Lambeth, Brighton, Motherwell and the National College for Art, Science and Technology in Malta.

Facts & Figures
7 sites in total
1 in the mountains, 2 near the coast and 4 inland (Sahara)

Student populations and no. of faculties (in this initial phase though all sites have scope for further expansion):

[Location; Student No; Faculty No]

Mountain
Gharyan; 6500; 8 faculties (incl. 3 existing)

Desert
Sabha; 7000;  8 faculties
Birak; 2800; 3 faculties
Marzuq; 2100; 3 faculties
Awbari; 2500; 3 faculties

Coastal
Surman; 3250; 4 faculties
Zuwarah; 4250; 5 faculties

TOTAL 28,400; 14 different faculty types and related common facilities, 15,000 student residential units and 600 staff units (spread across the various sites).

Faculty Types:
IT, Science, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Law, Linguistics, Medicine, Medical Technology, Accountancy & Economics, Natural Resources, Nursing, Literature, Engineering, Business Management.

Programme:
Masterplan to RIBA Stage D+ in 6 – 8 months.

Construction:
Construction contract would be an international ‘turnkey’ type.
Principal construction period 2008 - 2010

Jordan Architecture

RMJM won a contract Oct 2008 to design two university campuses in Libya:
123-acre satellite campus for the 7th of October University in Bani Walid, east of Tripoli.
222-acre campus for Al Asmariya university in Zletin, 100 miles east of Libya's capital city.

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Comments for the Libyan Universities page welcome: info@e-architect.co.uk

Libyan Universities : page - adrian welch / isabelle lomholt