By Brooke Anderson

Beirut

Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and sitting on some of Lebanon's most expensive real estate is a green space with no plans for development—at the American University of Beirut.

In 2002, when the country's most prestigious private university devised its 20-year master plan, environmental sustainability was one of the key considerations. The administration decided that the entire middle section of the 61-acre campus would remain a forest of native plants and trees, a rarity in a region where colleges favor sprawling lawns and ornamental plants.

Equally significant, the university decided that all building construction would have height limitations and be environmentally friendly.

"We're sending a big message. Land that's worth hundreds of millions of dollars, we're not allowed to touch," says Mohammad Tassi, project manager for the university's Facilities Planning and Design Unit, established in 2002. "On the contrary, we have to invest in the environment's future."

Two years ago, the university opened the Charles Hostler Student Center, a five-building complex that replaced a 250-car parking lot. It is as sustainable as structures get in Lebanon. The buildings have natural stonewall insulation, and pipes with cold water from the sea run through the roofs to keep the temperature lower. When humidity rises, windows on the roofs automatically open.

The center also makes the most of natural light, with shades on the south side where the sun comes in, but none on the north side. Water from sinks and showers is recycled and used to water plants. Outside, waterfalls of recycled water keep the courtyards cool, roof gardens provide quiet retreats for students, and loose tiles along the walkways allow for drainage.

"We want this to be a living campus. You become more sensitive to nature and the environment when you're living in a surrounding like this—it becomes a culture," says Jala Makhzoumi, an associate professor of landscape architecture at the university and coordinator of the university's Landscape Design and Eco-Management Program., who is also working on a greenbelt project around the city of Arbil in her native Iraq. "What AUB is practicing is very avant-garde in Lebanon—and the rest of the region."

Other architects and sustainability experts agree.

"There's a short-sightedness and a lack of awareness that's preventing green architecture," says Saleem Khoury, an architect in Beirut. "You have to take into consideration the whole view of life in Lebanon. It affects the way we drive, the way we throw away trash, everything. Even in our education, solar energy isn't part of the curriculum."

Mustafa Alwani, an architect in the Dubai office of the British firm Aedas, believes the Middle East has yet to get serious about green architecture, including some high-profile projects.

"It's sad," he says. "Here, green design is just for advertising, because people like to look good in the media." But when you student the design of such vaunted projects, he adds, it's not really green.

Amid Beirut's urban sprawl, the American University of Beirut has the largest green space in the city and is a model for the country's environmental activists and even some building developers.

The university is starting to see returns on that investment on its campus as well. More students are pursuing projects in environmental sustainability than in previous years, local developers regularly visit to get ideas for their own projects, and, of course, the university is also saving money on energy costs. The institution estimates it will save $350,000 on water and energy costs.

"I wish my apartment's bills were this low," says Bassem Barhoumi, director of the Facilities Planning and Design Unit. He thinks that eventually other developers will follow the university's model when they see both the environmental and economic benefits of green planning.

With Beirut's construction boom driving the national economy, American University of Beirut's patch of green might seem insignificant amid the city's vast proliferation of skyscrapers. But there are some signs things are changing.

"We don't expect people to follow us on open spaces," Mr. Tassi says. "But they can in water and energy consumption, and the way they build. They can have green roofs. It's not that difficult."