Port of Beirut Renewal

Project idea

On the 4th August 2020, a tragedy struck Beirut. An explosion in the port caused massive destruction all across the city. The explosion caused that over 200 people died, thousands were wounded and many more people were displaced from their home. The main goal of this project is to help Beirut get out of the tragic event that took place here before two years and make this port a gateway to the whole world, which will attract tourists and traders to Lebanon.

Project description

At the beginning I defined the main gates to the area from another important parts of the city like civil port or old town. I also defined the axis leading from gates to the area of blast scene and the silos building. These axes defined main routes and new buildings. From the border of the area, the development of apartment buildings begins, which gradually rises to the centre of the area, where the main landmark of the design is located. It is square spiral skyscraper reaching a height of 250 meters.

Behind this skyscraper, there are four other smaller skyscrapers with shops and offices. Next to them are silos that were the only one to survive the blast. These silos actually shielded West Beirut from the full force of the blast and became the centre point for the redesign. The destroyed part of the silos will be complemented by a metal skeleton structure to its original shape. At the top of the silo is a view of the memorial and its surroundings.

The memorial itself is footbridge connecting all sides of the port, as this project seeks to connect Beirut with the world. The footbridge continues to the very end, where there is a concert hall half drowned in the sea.
The port border is surrounded by restaurants and shops, creating an ideal environment for a thriving business.

Technical information

All skyscrapers are created using a hybrid concrete and steel structure with glass curtain wall. The facade has diagonal pattern. Spiral skyscraper begins from a 35 meters square footprint and rotates upwards to height of 250 meters.

The shell surrounding the concert hall at the end of the harbours is made of steel lattice structure with a surface made of GFRC technology. The facade look was inspired by Cedar of Lebanon cone.

Documentation

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