futureculture

Project idea

The main goal of the futureculture project is to introduce new contents that will not only help in rebuilding the city that was devastated in the explosion, but also enrich the touristic sector of Beirut. A big part of this process was creating new cultural areas throughout the whole city, but the main intervention in the port area had a focus on developing tourism and maintaining regular port activities.

Project description

The first objective was to completely separate the logistic and touristic parts of the port. The logistic part with the container terminals, cargo areas, parking areas and administration buildings kept its original functions and the zones weren’t changed because of the port operations and functioning. However, the touristic part was added on the far left side of the old port area, with memorial center as the new focal point of the city. The touristic zone was designed as a multifunctional area with various activities. Apart from the memorial center which is situated in the area around the explosion site and the silos, this zone also contains the passenger terminals for both cruise ships, ferries, yachts and smaller passenger boats, as well as areas for shopping and cultural events. The final addition to the touristic zone is a new exclusive resort that provides accommodation for tourists and is situated on an attractive coastal location. This resort along with the surrounding areas was the main focus of the Future Culture project. In order to create a place that will attract visitors from the city, the area was designed as a coastal park with the addition of the botanical garden that contains indigenous Lebanese plants, as well as an underground garage that is covered by a green roof. The resort itself is designed as a four-star hotel with places for rest, relaxation and leisure.

Technical information

With the capacity of five hundred guests, the hotel is equipped with 280 rooms (single bed, double bed and apartments), swimming pools, restaurants, bars and cafes, a nightclub, conference halls, a gym and a spa, as well as an outdoor garden. In order to provide its guests with a nice view of both the city and the memorial center, the hotel was given a curved form with terraced floors, and with rooms oriented on both sides of the main axis. The top floor is also covered with a green roof, and terraced roofs are equipped with solar panels. The building itself is supported by pillars which are placed radially due to the curved form. Cores that contain stairs and elevators are also placed along the main axis.