Construction at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has started to pick up steam with four research complexes already in full swing in its main campus in Thuwal, 70 km north of Jeddah. The construction of scientific research complexes and centers, namely Al-Khwazmi, Ibn Al-Haithm and Ibn Siena (Avicenna), has given the area an academic flavor of one of the top-notch research universities in the world. Empowered with a huge Saudi workforce, the construction companies are racing to meet the set deadline before Sept. 9 when the campus will officially start receiving students. The current construction will also include the administration building, the library, the conference center, and other university facilities. The state-of-the-art housing project, which is in its final stages of completion, has been designed according to the latest architectural stales with panoramic view on the Red Sea. Housing units are expected to accommodate up to 20,000 people. The project is spread over an area measuring 3 millions sq m. The gigantic campus projects have turned the coastal town into a beehive as more than 17,000 workers are being engaged in the construction work. Experts in real estate said the university projects have created an early economic boom in the town reflected in the skyrocketing prices of the buildings and lands within the areas of the university. Online admission to the KAUST departments will continue until May 11, 2008. – Okaz __
