Port of Beirut. From death to Life

MArchI, Moscow Architectural Institute – State Academy

Project idea

The main idea of the project is to integrate living spaces into the place of catastrophe and give it new opportunity to evolve and become a place of ''life'' instead of sorrow. So a borough arise around the place of explosion. It consists of living quarters and some commercial buildings. The very place of the blow turns into a memorial and public place and a museum. Straight roads are related to French quarters in the center of Beirut. They were formed under the influence of the museum's design. All port's zones are located further on east from the place together with the new silos building, which is located over against the destroyed one.

Project description

The place of explosion is very important and should be provided by a memorial, keeping the memory and being a peaceful public place of meeting. The museum is located around the crater in which water is always moving in a whirlpool. The museum has an amphitheater on the roof where people can watch the water, the sea and events. The last can be held on the outstanding platform that is hanged over the whirlpool. The amphitheater has triangular roofs - a symbol of memory's shards. The silos building is partly demolished. Only two central cylinders become the gates of the museum. The museum itself represents the history of catastrophes experienced by human.
The highest residential buildings represent section houses with terraced roofs. Between sections there are spacious terraces. Each apartment has a terrace or a balcony with the view on the sea. The houses has inner yard above the ground floor which contains commercial premises. Underground floor is a parking.

Technical information

The buildings are made using concrete for load-bearing walls and aerated concrete blocks for other walls. The museum has steel columns and triangular roofs. The roof is sheathed by lighter reflective metal below and non-reflective above.

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