BEIRUT SEA PORT PROJECT CONCEPT

ФГБОУ ВО «СКГМИ (ГТУ)»

Project idea

Port of Beirut – the main port in Lebanon and one of the largest ports in the world, located
on the eastern part of The Saint George Bay on Beirut’s northern Mediterranean coast.
The project concept idea is not only about restoration of industrial and economic
infrastructure but also about bringing cultural/entertainment and recreational industries. A
significant part of this project is the retrieval of port full operation, which will help to revive
external and internal markets of the city. One of the main decisions was to divide port in
two zones: the cargo zone and the tourist zone, creating an own water area for passenger
terminal, to develop tourism.

Project description

The memorial zone is located on the territory of the explosion site, (doc. 7,8,9). The place of
destruction has turned into a park and cultural area. The funnel with a depth of 43 meters
will be cleaned and illuminated, in order to obtain the effect of the striking power of the
explosion. Some of the damaged elevators were reconstructed as an architectural element
of the memorial and it reaches a height of 43 meters. In the form of spiral, the structure
gradually rises from mark -43 meters to 43 meters. The meaning behind this, is about how
to move forward from the past experience and reach new heights. In memory of the dead,
inside the former elevators are written the names of workers and rescuers. The sculpture
is surrounded by a promenade area, fountains, seats in the form of stands, under which
there are commercial premises, cafes, shops. These is also a stage for public
announcements and cultural and entertainment performances.
To get to the memorial park you can go through the walk boulevard, a tourist
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path, that stretches from the passenger terminal to the port administration. You can get to
the boulevard from anywhere in the city, along the length of the port.
The passenger terminal became independent from the cargo zone and now is
acquiring it’s own water area. The groyne, that is protecting the water area
of the passenger terminal, has a curved shape, since with the length of the
port territory along the coast, the lines of piers and breakwaters should be
broken and curvilinear. The groyne is at the same time a yacht ship. Also a
continuation of the station became: a hotel complex, an entertainment and
a recreational areas. Thus, tourists can stay in the hotel apartments, visit the
park, walk along the promenade or boulevard, from which you would be
able to see the work of the port and visit the memorial park. You could also
rent a boat or yacht for a walk on the water.
The elevators are now combined with warehouses, forming a common architecture. The
vertical element of the building is used to store bulk cargo: elevators, freight elevators,
service premises, equipment rooms and vertical communications. The elevators also function
as a mainstay, supporting warehouses building on the second level, where general cargo,
cargo for free zones, cold stores and special cargo are stored. This solution allows us to free
up the first level for truck driveway, unloading areas, open storage areas, cargo transit areas,
thereby increasing the total port storage area and throughput, which will help increase the
market and economy.
The container terminal and administration were left in their original places (doc. 15, 16). As
these zones are currently performing their functions, it was decided not to change the port
configuration, regarding these areas. There are empty containers (doc. 12, 13, 14).

Technical information

The concept of sea port reconstruction includes
Restoration of bunker elevators.
The container terminal
The empty container zone
Restoration of general cargo zone
Restoration of free cargo zone
Restoration of passenger terminal
Memorial area
Commercial and recreational areas