The Beating Core

Project idea

The project aims to explore a proposition that follows the radiation of the explosion and spreads positive change, in the affected areas, by implementing innovative public spaces and providing adequate access to them. These public spaces can promote a self-sufficient life through sustainable planning by using the remaining resources and promoting a sustainable community.

Thus, the core aims are to offer hope for the community of Beirut through simple, practical, and low-cost sustainable landscape interventions. Primary areas of consideration are the emphasis on the needs of the people and providing a vision that Empowers Beirut’s inner core to become a leader of change through landscape archetypes inspired by the evolutionary past of the city. This vision will be achieved through the mission of changing the behavioral patterns of Beirut through a biophilic design of decontaminating the ecosystem, protecting the natural flow, connecting the city, remembering the cultural history, repairing the damaged sites, and promoting a socio-economic collaboration through the landscape.

Project description

A concept map for the city of Beirut is produced by overlaying the six landscape dynamics of the project’s mission. Logically, the port area is chosen as a focus area to adapt to the needs of the people and provide a safe natural place of seclusion while creating a sublime experience beyond the daily routine of the community. The vision is achieved through a strategic gradual perennial planting scheme. The natural shelter park will serve as a model of change to remedy the defects and be a model of true change for further future development.

Technical information

Shifting the pattern will start by creating a living organism shaped by a vital structure.

Healing starts by injecting the city with archetypes that could stimulate the city’s immunity to the existing and upcoming challenges by mimicking their side effects and going back to the genesis of letting nature rule the landscape.

The resilient transformative system is thus composed of the prerequisite dynamic of decontamination, followed by five main archetype dynamics classified under different landscape flows.

Native salt-tolerant vegetation will be implemented, based on the transitional areas presented in the chosen site.

The selected Perennial vegetation will help accomplish the vision of bringing people closer to nature through an integrative participatory biophilic design. The community will be invited to plant the designated vegetation following a matrix planting combined with individuals and small groups of vegetation, aiming to emulate nature and create visual wilderness in the landscape. The vegetation scheme will be transferred to the ground, to guide the people in the planting process.