Beirut Phoenix

Project idea

With great enthusiasm, we participated in this competition for the reconstruction of the port of Beirut to be part of the renaissance of a great people. This project aims to start from the point of explosion, with a new port in the renewed spirit of the Beirut Phoenix, to reach a port that serves multiple functions and restarts the port with greater quality and increases its public area from 1,300,000 m Square to 2,400,000 square meters divided into two layers with different functions. The project also aims to increase social convergence and restore people’s right to the port and the waterfront, and to transform the port into a public tourist destination and an economic incubator that contributes to increasing Beirut’s economy on various levels.

Project description

We cannot change the past, but we can start from now on by creating a more beautiful present. This is how we set out in our design of the port, taking the point of the explosion as a starting point for a renaissance and a new port worthy of the capital of Lebanon
The project works on a number of axes, namely:
Trade and Economy :
Our goal is to enhance the city's economy by finding the largest number of investment and career opportunities, by designing a number of investment spaces, such as the mall, a plaza for various local and international exhibitions (such as the Expo), designing economic incubators (office buildings) in the harbour as well as public spaces that accommodate various kiosks.
Re-running the port Weakened operation by increasing its storage and general area, and increasing the capacity to receive ships through the displacement of breakers to increase the capacity of ships’ rotation without booking any of the berths. The berths will be used only for loading and unloading.
tourism :
This explosion highlighted Beirut, so we tried to exploit this topic to increase tourism and transform the port into a tourism destination. Beirut's new and adventurous spirit is like the car racing arena in the harbour area and the paintball field.
Industry :
Providing various factories for refining materials and manufacturing tools for ships, and stations for ship maintenance.
Social:
The second layer of the project aims to restore the relationship between the city and the port that was affected after the tragic accident, by providing jobs that interact with the port such as playgrounds, children’s playgrounds, terraces that receive celebrations, and open and green areas. The project ends with two different conclusions, the first alternative silos express the spirit of the place, and the second at the end of the waves breakers is an arts centre that expresses the spirit of Beirut.

Technical information

The project is built of concrete with glass facades consisting of two layers. The ground layer is the harbour stores, topped by the second layer, which carries the social and tourism functions.