University of Kalamoon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The University of Kalamoon (UOK) is situated 80 km north of the Syrian capital Damascus, near Der Atia Village, in the Kalamoon Zone. The University was founded in 2001 as the first private university in the Syrian territories which has opened the door to Syrian students to have another chance than that offered by the public universities.
The university has opened many faculties, including Business Administration, Nutrition, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, International and Diplomatic Relations, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutics, Information Technology (IT), and Architecture. The University of Kalamoon has a big campus with many buildings built to the best specifications which house UOK activities. Some of the best Syrian engineers, like Eng. Mustafa Hallak ( which was the executive manager of the project of the university, and is one of the best civil engineers in Syria ) and Eng. Saleem Daaboul, have indicated that University of Kalamoon is one of the best universities in Syria, and among the best in the Middle East.
The heartland of SYRIA
The selection of the location of the University has taken into account the need of its closeness to the main road link between the southern and northern provinces, i.e. the Damascus-Homs International highway. The founder (Al Nibras Co.) carried out a regional study and a planning research for Al-Kalamoon district to be able to determine the site which is situated in the middle of the four towns of Qara, Deratiah, Nabek, and Yabroud. The present location was found to be the most convenient, being situated in the middle between Deratiah and Nabek, and at an approximately equal distance of Qara and Yabroud. It is also 100 meters of the international highway to the eastern side.
The total area of the University campus is about 500,000 square meters.
University Main Campus:
The owning Company had identified the areas for educational buildings along the western part of the site, followed by an elongated axis at the centre of the general site to ensure the availability of central walking movement for the students,
linking the educational buildings with the accommodation units and the axis of the main entrance, as well as the University Presidency to the north with the commercial centre to the south.
Planning was also arranged for building a commercial shopping mall, the profit of which was to go to the University fund to support the educational process and to handle any future financial needs which could occur as a result of generous spending on sophisticated and state-of-the-art equipment, and most importantly for attracting distinctive and high standard teaching staff.
Two buildings were designed on the main campus to host the University central library and the restaurant. These two buildings have been built right in the centre of the University campus to allow easy access to them by students from all surrounding buildings.
Large open areas were designed around those buildings to enable students to gather for celebrating special cultural, scientific or social events or occasions…
The Architectural Designs:
The architectural designs adopted the concept of striking a balance between internal and external spaces and vice versa, which would generate a sense of relaxation. That is due to the fact that the feeling of a third dimension of space as well as the contiguity with skyline stimulates contemplation and psychological comfort in students and administrative personnel alike.
The owning company also made a touch of modernity on the local architectural design by adopting and developing local features, based on modern engineering techniques.
In addition, it took into consideration the unforeseeable future needs of the University which has been left to the future generations to evaluate and assess. Therefore, a whole island has been left at the north-western side of the campus without any buildings for possible future expansion, depending upon the various needs of the University in the coming years.
Transport & Telecommunications:
Keeping in mind the increasing need for transport and means of communications, it has been one of the vital concerns of the University to meet the growing demands by providing the University with up-to-date telecommunication systems, including telephone lines, an internal intranet server, a wireless computer network, and an internet system that serves all parts of the University, and the students accommodation area. In addition to local and space TV networks, particularly chosen to support the educational and scientific objectives.
In the area of transport, a set of Coach buses has been dedicated for students’ transportation. In addition, special car parks for students’ cars have been designed outside the campus for secure and long-time parking. Besides, there are special parking lots inside the University campus accessible only through advanced permits and conditions.
