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House of Arts and Culture - Beirut
House of Arts and Culture - Beirut
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House of Arts and Culture - Beirut
Type
The generosity of the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos Bin Said Al Said, provides
Lebanon with the unique opportunity of building a House of Arts and Culture in
the heart of its capital Beirut, a district that suffered severe destruction in
the past wars.
How does one design a building that has a high chance of being bombed?
What should such a House of Arts and Culture represent? To answer these
questions, we abstracted and decided to pull back from any warlike imagery,
which had been previously (often excellently so) represented by local
architects, and decided to go the opposite route. Instead of building a
resistant, concrete defense structure, we design an extremely delicate yet
organic structure. Like the Lebanese cedar tree, which is known for its ability
to resist and revive, the structure we created is peaceful and open. It says
“please do not bomb!” And this simple gesture, we believe, could constitute a
small step towards peace. Architecture for peace.
More precisely, the structure is conceived from a single volume that
serves as the shell, occupying the entirety of the plot's surface. From inside
this shell, mass is removed along two perpendicular axes, thus, creating a
cross-shaped void. At the center of this void and throughout the inside of the
shell, sequences of copper blades generate four exterior spaces in the interior
of the plot.
The presence of the shell is affirmative. It allows planned integration
of the building within the urban grid of and around the location.
It is the difference of character of these two components, this
dialectic of the peripheral shell (white concrete: heavy and compact) and the
thin blades of copper (shiny reflexion: light and permeable) that define the
project´s intention of portraying the ability to withstand and revive.
The materials are chosen according to qualities of resilience and
resistance. With time and weather, the materials will age, some creating a
patina, without giving away their characteristics. The building, thereby,
preserves and stresses its character over time.
Like the courtyard of a caravanserai: “a beautiful soul in a humble
body.”
Lebanon with the unique opportunity of building a House of Arts and Culture in
the heart of its capital Beirut, a district that suffered severe destruction in
the past wars.
How does one design a building that has a high chance of being bombed?
What should such a House of Arts and Culture represent? To answer these
questions, we abstracted and decided to pull back from any warlike imagery,
which had been previously (often excellently so) represented by local
architects, and decided to go the opposite route. Instead of building a
resistant, concrete defense structure, we design an extremely delicate yet
organic structure. Like the Lebanese cedar tree, which is known for its ability
to resist and revive, the structure we created is peaceful and open. It says
“please do not bomb!” And this simple gesture, we believe, could constitute a
small step towards peace. Architecture for peace.
More precisely, the structure is conceived from a single volume that
serves as the shell, occupying the entirety of the plot's surface. From inside
this shell, mass is removed along two perpendicular axes, thus, creating a
cross-shaped void. At the center of this void and throughout the inside of the
shell, sequences of copper blades generate four exterior spaces in the interior
of the plot.
The presence of the shell is affirmative. It allows planned integration
of the building within the urban grid of and around the location.
It is the difference of character of these two components, this
dialectic of the peripheral shell (white concrete: heavy and compact) and the
thin blades of copper (shiny reflexion: light and permeable) that define the
project´s intention of portraying the ability to withstand and revive.
The materials are chosen according to qualities of resilience and
resistance. With time and weather, the materials will age, some creating a
patina, without giving away their characteristics. The building, thereby,
preserves and stresses its character over time.
Like the courtyard of a caravanserai: “a beautiful soul in a humble
body.”
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