As early as 1913 the American University of Beirut recognized the need for engineering education in the Arab World and, consequently, a program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering was established in the Department of Engineering within the School of Arts and Sciences. The courses offered were in the field of Civil Engineering. By 1944, sufficient additional courses had been added to permit conferment of the degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.

A separate School of Engineering was established in 1951 under the Deanship of C. Ken Weidner. Four-year programs, after freshman, were initiated in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Architectural Engineering. A new building donated by Stephen D. Bechtel and named the Bechtel Engineering Building, after its donor, was constructed to house it. The building was inaugurated on April 16, 1954, under the auspices of his Excellency Mr. Camille N. Chamoun, President of the Lebanese Republic, and in the presence of Dr. Constantine Zurayk, Acting President of AUB, and Mr. Stephen Bechtel.

During the tenure of Dean C. Ken Weidner, the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture grew tremendously in enrollment, laboratory facilities, and physical plant. The present University power plant was initially built for use by the students in the Departments of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, as well as to provide electric power and hot water to the University as a standby unit. During the same period three additional buildings were constructed to house mainly the shops (wood, metal, and welding), and laboratories of the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. Also Sanitary Engineering and Hydraulic laboratories were built and fully equipped. Most of the original laboratory and shop equipment were acquired through the persistent effort of Dean Weidner and the generosity of American and European donors.

In 1962 Raymond S. Ghosn, Professor of Architecture, was appointed to succeed Dean C. Ken Weidner. In 1963, a five-year program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Architecture was introduced, replacing the Bachelor of Architectural Engineering program. In that same year the School was renamed the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture and was reorganized to comprise four departments: the Department of Architecture, and the Departments of Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering.

After the untimely death of Dean Raymond Ghosn on February 17, 1976, Professor Robert Sloane was appointed Acting Dean for a period of six months followed by six month rotating acting deanships from among the chairpersons of departments namely, the late Professors Thomas Bridgewood, Khosrof Yeramian and Edward Hope. In 1977 Professor Kanaan Kano was appointed Dean of the Faculty and served till 1982 when the late Associate Professor Henri Madani took over as Acting Dean until 1986, the year Professor Nassir Sabah was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. Dean Sabah served until the year 1999 when he was succeeded by Professor Mohamed Harajli as Acting Dean of the Faculty. In the year 2000 Professor Ibrahim Hajj was appointed as Dean of the Faculty and has been serving in this capacity up to the present.

 

 

An important aspect introduced into the program as early as 1952 was the establishment of a summer camp where all students of the Faculty, after completing the first Year, spent ten weeks studying surveying and the use and operation of building construction equipment such as traxcavators, bulldozers, and road scrapers. Besides the academic benefits, the students had the opportunity to experience the conditions of community camp living by sleeping, eating, and studying under the same tents as their professors. The first camp site was started in 1954 in Zgharta, and was moved in 1958 to the grounds of Shwayfat National High School (Mr. Charles Saad). In 1960 a permanent camp set-up was established in Mazboud in the Chouf District. Due to a change in the curriculum in 1970 the surveying course became restricted as a requirement to Civil Engineering majors only. This resulted in the closure of the camp in 1970, and the surveying course has since been taught on the Main Campus.

In 1986 the Electrical Engineering Department introduced a new program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Engineering – major Computer and Communications Engineering. In 1992 the Department of Architecture introduced a new four-year undergraduate degree program in Graphic Design. The department was then renamed as the Department of Architecture and Design. In 1995 the Department of Electrical Engineering was renamed the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Department of Civil Engineering was renamed the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

At the graduate level, each of the three engineering departments offers a program leading to the Degree of Master of Engineering. The first programs leading to Master's degrees in Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering were introduced in 1962. A graduate program in Sanitary Engineering was also introduced in 1962. In keeping with international trends, the program was renamed in 1973 as Environmental Engineering. A new interdepartmental graduate program leading to the Degree of Master of Engineering Management was started in 1990. Master's degree programs in Urban Planning and Urban Design were introduced within the Department of Architecture and Design in 1998. Plans for introducing Ph.D. programs in engineering are underway.

The number of faculty members increased from 14 in 1952 to 60 full-time and 69 part-time faculty members in 2005. Over the same period the student numbers increased from about 100 undergraduate students in 1951 to 1460 undergraduate and 260 graduate students in 2005.

Since the early 1990's an ambitious program of renovation and construction has been undertaken. The fourth floor in Bechtel Engineering Building was expanded and remodeled to house the engineering library and a new examination hall. A fifth floor was added to provide additional faculty offices and large classrooms. An existing structure in the shop area was remodeled to house the Environmental Engineering Research Center and a section was added to the Fluid Mechanics laboratory to house the Water Resources Center. An additional third floor was added on the western side of Wing B to house laboratories for control systems, communications and microprocessors, as well as computer laboratories. The Architecture Building was renovated with the addition of an extra floor to provide design studios and faculty offices to accommodate the Graphic Design Program.

Bechtel Building - 1992

In 2001 a new building dedicated to the late Dean Raymond Ghosn was completed and inaugurated on October 31st under the auspices of Mr. Rafic Hariri, Prime Minister of Lebanon represented by Mrs. Bahia Hariri, Member of Parliament, and in the presence of AUB President John Waterbury and other dignitaries.

Dean Raymond Ghosn Building - 2001

Plans are underway to replace Wings B and C with a new engineering building to house state-of-the-art laboratories, lecture and meeting rooms, and offices for graduate students and faculty. The new laboratory complex will be built with the help of a major gift from AUB alumnus Dr. Ray Irani, the CEO and Chairman of Occidental Petroleum, and from Occidental Petroleum. The building will be called the Irani/Oxy Engineering Laboratory Building. Another new laboratory building, to be called the CCC Scientific Research Building, is being constructed with the help of a gift from the Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), to house the engineering laboratories that are currently located in Wings B and C, until the Irani/Oxy Engineering Laboratory Building is completed. The CCC Scientific Research Building will be used as a flex space when other buildings on the AUB campus are being renovated. Eventually this new building will house interdisciplinary research programs in engineering and sciences.

Plans have also been drawn to renovate and reconfigure the Bechtel Building, the Raymond Ghosn Building, and the Architecture Building in order to modernize all classrooms, offices, studios and work spaces. A gift has been received from Dar Al-Handassah (Shair and Partners) to renovate the Architecture Building. A major gift has been received to renovate and house the Engineering and Science Library in the lower two floors of the Bechtel Building. Another gift has been received to renovate the Engineering lecture Hall in the Bechtel Building. More donations are being sought from alumni and friends to complete the new buildings and renovate the existing ones, as well as equip the laboratories, classrooms and the offices with the latest equipment.