Unbuilt
Status
Date
2021
Location
Roumieh, Lebanon
Team
Fouad Samara
Jad Abi Fadel
Jad Abi Fadel
A bold and unorthodox response was necessary in achieving the client’s aspirations of useable outdoor space, capturing of views towards Beirut and the Mediterranean, while maintaining the powerful nature of this prohibitively steep site accessible only from below located on the fringe of Roumieh, a historic village in the Metn.
It became clear early on that the house only wants to be at the very top of the site where, to one side and through a few mature pine trees, views of Beirut are revealed, and more open views across the narrow valley offered. At the same time, the prohibitive and dramatic nature of the steep site was something that we all wanted to leave intact, indeed celebrate. There was no intention to tame it at all.
As a result, the house developed into two distinct components. The first, a black pigmented concrete retaining wall running the entire width of the land and as high up as possible within it; housing the arrival point at the lowest level, a services mezzanine to that, and a series of bedrooms and family rooms above. Intended to read as part of the landscape as much as part of the house, the retaining wall developed into a lattice, an armature for the landscape, inviting the greenery in while offering filtered and protected views out.
The second component reflects the desire to have the reception areas in the location that benefits the most from the views down the valley and towards Beirut and the Mediterranean. Suspended high above the natural terrain and cantilevered 9m off the concrete lattice, the steel structure seemingly suspends those inside in midair, offering a panoramic 270-degree view, and further emphasizing the fall of the natural terrain below. The roof of both the concrete and steel components are accessible offering generous outdoor space for daily use and entertainment.