The foundation stone of the multi-storey Aman Tower, which includes residential suites, seminar halls and a gymnasium, was laid on Friday in a ‘groundbreaking’ ceremony.
The tower will be built in the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), city campus, Saddar. Right now it may be just a plot of stones and sand but soon, it will give rise to a sleek, grey and maroon tower. The Aman Tower would have two basement levels, a ground level and 13 floors. It would consist of 32 residential suites, four seminar halls that can seat up to 240 people, two lecture theatres with 100-person capacity each, a dining hall with 104 seats, eight classrooms, a centre for executive education, IT and faculty floors, gymnasium, extensive parking space and a library.
IBA Dean and Director Dr Ishrat Husain shared IBA’s philosophy to “remain rooted in the innovative urge to excel in all areas of academic environment including culture, curriculum, faculty and infrastructure”.
He said IBA aspires to turn bright students with leadership potential into outstanding leaders and business professionals of tomorrow.
He expressed his gratitude to the Aman Foundation for its generous support of Rs905 million. The money will be used to construct two new IBA buildings including a centre for entrepreneurship development and the Aman Tower.
The Aman Tower is among several ongoing projects for IBA’s “futuristic physical expansion” and infrastructure development.
The institute is concentrating on four pillars - facilities and physical infrastructure growth, faculty development, technology up gradation and community links to the industry. “With this multidimensional approach, IBA aspires to become one of the top 100 global business schools and 10 regional business schools,” Dr Ishrat added. The welcome address was followed by a briefing by Project Director Rehanul Ambia and the project architects.
The ground breaking and laying of foundation stone was led by the chief guest, Abraaj Capital Holdings Managing Director Waqar Hassan Siddique. Aman Foundation CEO Ahsen Jamil also attended the event.
The ceremony ended with a speech by the chief guest. Presentation of souvenirs and refreshments followed. Visitors were also given a tour of the academic block.
The Aman Foundation is a social sector enterprise and since its inception in 2008, it has made strides in healthcare, education and other development sectors in the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 26th, 2011.
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