Chunky concrete pillars support the upper storey of this university building in Lebanon, which rises above its sloping site to offer views of a nearby walnut grove and the Mediterranean Sea.

The Sheikh Nahyan Centre for Arabic Studies & Intercultural Dialogue (CASID) was designed by local firm Fouad Samara Architects as the latest addition to the campus of the University of Balamand in Lebanon's Al Kurah district.
The building's design is an attempt to represent the university's progressive ethos through its modern reinterpretation of vernacular building typologies.

Another factor that influenced the form is the gently sloping site, which provides a vista across the surrounding campus and towards the sea in the distance.
The centre is situated on the upper portion of the plot to maximise the views, and features a three-sided configuration that encloses a central garden.
The layout allows the building to be accessed from all sides and from various levels of the landscaped grounds, which include a private inner garden with stepped seating.
"A modern interpretation of the traditional courtyard buildings of the Levant, CASID is not a fort-like structure," said Fouad Samara Architects. "On the contrary, it knits itself into the site, opens to all its surroundings, and engages with them."
"A forum for the entire campus, it opens up towards the west, symbolising its role as a vehicle for intercultural dialogue."

The western section of the cent...