The Urban Pause

USEK - Holy spirit University of Kaslik

Project idea

Density, land use and planning laws have caused the loss of the ancient identity of many cities. This is the case of Achrafieh in Lebanon that lost its identity as a village. Ashrafieh became dense, cluttered, noisy, nowadays lacking the calm, peaceful and tranquil aspect.
The purpose of my project is to recreate empty places in the dense city and conceive a transparency through the greenery.
The green plots that have been chosen will present a green cloud that reminds us of the ancient Achrafieh. The goal of my project is to create an URBAN PAUSE and to ruralize Achrafieh. It is being able to rest, relax and get away from tension without having to travel for miles to get to a serene place with ecological laws.
This project will be a destination for visitors as well as for citizens.

There are several common points between the selected plots:

Empty Tray: The plots are very small and we cannot create an architecture on the borders and leave a piazza at the same time. So the question is: Can the piazza be the project itself?

Greenery: The greenery is limited in the fabric. So the question is: How to create a green cloud in this fabric?

Traditional house: More value to the modern houses and less value to the traditional ones. So the question is: How to make my project a futuristic machine hidden in a traditional concept?

Party wall (common wall): The common wall is an intruder in the system. So the question is: How to camouflage this wall and make it a part of my project?

Mechanism: I will personally add a seasonal mechanism to the project so it can metamorphose with the nature and the seasons.

Project description

The empty plots that have been chosen are scattered in a perpendicular way to the parallel lanes that have different activities (Industrial, Residential, Playful, Cultural) and this to accentuate the dramatic effect of surprise. The path will be in the opposite direction of the alleys to connect them.
In these plots we will be working on the common points between them:
1-Empty Tray
2-Greenery
3-Traditional House
4-Party wall
5-Mechanism

Plot 1:
This Plot is the interface between the road Charles Helou that has an industrial function and the road Pasteur that has a residential function. The chosen site is next to Charles Helou station (a station for travelers) that's why my project will be a resting area for this station.
1- The empty part of the plot is dug, so the goal is to bring back the original identity of the site by recreating a slope. This empty slope will be an inhabited piazza with an entertainment function for the travelers.
2-Protect the remaining greenery in the site.
3- Keep the external envelope of the traditional house to preserve its identity and work only on its interior. This house will have additional function of wellbeing.
4-The party wall will be covered-up by a vertical hotel intended for the travelers. This East façade will be protected by a green metallic structure.
5- The inhabited slope that will generate rest in the city will have a seasonal mechanism: Open space during summer / Covered space during winter.

Plot 2:
This Plot is the interface between the road Pasteur that has a residential function and the road Gouraud that has a playful function. This district (known by “Gemayze”) was known before by its stores which were located in the Ground floor where everyone gathered. Nowadays these stores are replaced by restaurants, cafes and pubs. Thus the district became active at night but passive during the day. Therefore, my project is going to be a market that will revive this neighborhood during its passive time.
1-Create a shaded structure in the empty part of the plot to pay tribute to the tree which gave the name of this district (The Gemmaze tree). The shaded structure will serve as an accessible piazza, and the shaded space or shaded area created by this structure will be an underground market.
2- There is no greenery in this plot.
3- Keep the external envelope of the traditional house to preserve its identity and work only on its interior. In this plot the traditional house will be holding a hospitality industry related to the market.
4- The party wall will be covered-up by a vertical vegetable garden for each house in the district. So this façade will be covered by greenery (replacing the missing greenery).
5-The shaded structure is an architecture of scattered slabs which function as benches for visitors. These slabs will have a seasonal mechanism: Scattered during summer (to ventilate the space and give it a new atmosphere) / Closed during winter.

Plot 3:
This Plot is the interface between the road Gouraud that has a playful function and the road Sursock that has a cultural function. It is located in a fun and artistic district near the Saint Nicolas staircase (daraj el fann) that is considered a gathering place but only during occasions. That is the reason why I'm going to create a place that will be available every day for gatherings and exhibitions.
1- The project will be built underground to leave the empty part of the plot empty so it can be used as an urban piazza. This project will contain an exhibition area and a gathering area for the district.
2- Protect the remaining vertical greenery in the site (on the walls).
3- Keep the external envelope of the traditional house to preserve its identity and work only on its interior. In this plot the traditional house will be holding workshops for sports and art.
4- Preserve the party wall that is already covered by greenery.
5- The project will contain an intermediate slab that will have a seasonal mechanism: Opens during summer to be used as an urban screen/ Closed during winter.

Plot 4:
This Plot is the interface between the road Sursock that has a cultural function and the road Charles Malek that has an administrative function. This district is well known for its cultural and educational aspect. It is for this reason that I will create a cultural break for all ages.
1-In this plot the abandoned house includes a series of L-shaped archways. That’s why we’ll build an L-shaped volume on the other side of the empty space in this plot so that the whole project represents visually a khan or an inner courtyard (traditional Lebanese house). The courtyard will be the urban piazza and the built area will contain an afterschool program.
2-Protect the remaining greenery in the site.
3- Keep the external envelope of the traditional house to preserve its identity and work only on its interior. In this plot the traditional house will be holding a bookstore and a gathering space.
4-The party wall will be covered-up by a vertical library and a reading area. This façade full of books will be protected by a green metallic structure.
5-This project will have a seasonal mechanism as well. The urban piazza will be a patio on an inferior level to isolate the noise from the functions found in the Ground Floor. This Patio will be: Covered by glass during winter/ Open during summer.

The Green Cloud:
The projects are scattered on the fabric. To be able to link them I will draw a green line accompanied by several breaks that guides us through the project: FOLLOW THE GREENERY. So I'm going to have pauses on different scales: At the level of the plot --> building, at the level of the street --> sidewalk (follow the shade so follow the greenery (shaded path), benches, bike station and shuttle (eco) ...)
I will also create mechanical kiosks that will serve the project and connect the plots one to another. These kiosks will operate according to the schedule of the day (day / night)

Technical information

Materials:
All the projects are built by a light metallic structure and that’s because of the seasonal mechanism that needs a light weight to function.

Mechanism:
Hydraulic cylinders will be used in all the projects in order to be movable: Open space during the summer (outdoor) and closed space during the winter (indoor).

Greenery:
Achrafieh was considered a village because of its location and its greenery: It is located on a hill and had a dominant green fabric. Today it has lost this identity.
My project will revegetate Achrafieh during all the seasons.
-In the projects where greenery had been added, we used jasmine and that’s because it’s a green plant during all the seasons and especially during summer where it will grow flowers that have a great smell too. Also, I’m bringing back this specific plant because we used to find it in every corner of Achrafieh which it's not the case nowadays.
-The vertical vegetable gardens that had been added to one of the projects, will have a Solar-Powered Irrigation System (SPIS) that is an automatic irrigation system where the irrigation pump is operated by electricity from the sunlight which is converted by solar panels.