Project Description
Urban Planning (Phase 01): The proposal strikes to make The dock yard of 2.1 million sq.m (where the tragic August 4th 2020 explosion occurred), as the new Front Porch of Beirut. The vision stems from the narrative that all Beirutis , be it the Maronites, the Shias , the Sunnis, or the Druze have equal access to the site as a ‘Place of Trust. Part of the existing sea port is relocated to the east, to allow for the front ‘Sea Face’ of Beirut to become a landmark coastline. The vast area thus reclaimed for the development becomes an apolitical, non religious parallel spine to Beirut’s old city, where indeed one can can walk without fear from one end of the city to the other. The development channels the public realm with vast water & green plazas along the Charles Helou Rd, thus creating a ‘Front Lawn’ for the city. Beyond the plazas once sees the pavilion of ‘Souks’ retail that acts the protective barrier of the ‘Place of Trust’.
Financial Modelling: the lion share of the revenue from the retail ‘souks’ will be used as cross subsidy, and one of the three legs that would support the housing development dedicated to denizens of Beirut whose homes were destroyed in the great blast.
Architecture of the ‘Souks’ : Inspired by the awnings seen in the traditional Arab market place, the ‘ Souks ’ ( phase 01) sports a series of building profiles that are visually arresting yet rooted in the memory of the past. The morphology though contemporary, does not suffer from the same alien architecture that one sees in the gulf country cities. It is uniquely ‘Arab’. The ‘souks’ also act as a security barrier to the Marina Park without looking like a separating wall. The sloping green roof of the in-between spaces of the pavilions provides a secure nature park facing the sea.