Campus Expansion in Progress
Icicles on the Azizi Building at AUAF. |
The constantly-changing landscape of the AUAF campus is a reminder that AUAF – like Afghanistan itself – is making major progress in developing its learning infrastructure.
AUAF has two major building projects in progress: the remodeling of its current campus and the construction of its new campus. The current AUAF campus, which is expected to be in use for the next five years at minimum, is bustling with workers hammering, drilling, and digging.
The current campus sits on four acres of land in the Karte Se area of Kabul, on what used to be the site of the American International School of Kabul. During the factional fighting that raged in the area in the early 1990s, many of the buildings on the campus were heavily damaged and completely stripped of re-usable materials such as wood and metal, leaving poignant concrete shells as reminders of the site’s former function.
Transforming what is left of the old school buildings into appropriate classroom and office space requires extensive work. Repairing the battle-scarred concrete structures, replacing roofs, and constructing electrical, heating, and plumbing systems is overseen by a team of AUAF architects and engineers.
"The renovation of the new buildings allows us to settle into the next five years. It will give us the capacity to handle projected growth," says Mr. William Schiffbauer, AUAF Director of Facilities.
Thus far, three of the existing five buildings have been given a new lease on life. The Bayat Building and the Azizi Building – which owe their new functionality to their namesakes – form the nucleus of the current AUAF campus. Another small building, the AUAF Café, provides students, faculty, and staff a place to eat and socialize.
The remaining two buildings are currently undergoing renovations. The Library Building, which will provide an additional nine classrooms as well as an expanded academic library, is in the process of being refitted with a new roof. It is expected to be ready for use by late 2008.
By far the largest single building project on the current campus is the gymnasium. Once renovated, the gym will not only provide AUAF students with space to pursue sports and recreation, but will also enable the University to hold large events and support the research and higher education community with space for guest lectures and conferences.
Difficulties abound. Buildings must be designed based on availability of materials. In Afghanistan, this means that conventional wood frames are not feasible. Instead, large-scale construction projects require a combination of wood, metal, and new building materials such as foam.
Compounding difficulties with materials and manpower, building is going forth in the midst of the Kabul winter. Located at 5900 feet (1,800 meters) above sea level in the mountains of the Hindu Kush, winter temperatures in Kabul rival northern capitals such as Moscow, Oslo, and Ottawa. Icy cold wind and snow stream down from the mountains with little notice, leaving work crews scrambling to recover their equipment and retreat to the heated indoors.
