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Status

In Progress

Date

TBA

Location

Mansourieh, Lebanon

Team

Fouad Samara
Jad Abi Fadel
Sarah El Hage

A cliff and a garden

The site for this mixed use project is a rectangular plot of land located between two streets, one residential, and the other commercial, with a 20m height difference between them.

 

The lower street was violently carved into the mountain creating a 105m long cliff edge to the site. This new reality inspired the lower commercial building’s design. Running along the entire length of the site and effectively acting as a retaining wall to the upper, the lower building is a single aspect monolith of glass and concrete.

 

The Cliff Edge

Essentially fully glazed, precast concrete fins articulate the façade and respond to building setbacks and regulations to form a sculpted cliff edge. The concrete fins provide definition and privacy to the interior spaces, provide shade from the harsh western sun, and critically act as acoustic buffers to mitigate against noise from the busy street.

 

The Armature

The upper residential building is dual aspect and also runs the entire length of the site. Here though, concrete fins are replaced with vertical grating whose density changes depending on the spaces behind and that, while providing shade from the south and east sun, also provide an armature for climbers.

 

A Mixed-Use Building

Addressing different requirements of the community, a variety of spaces within the project are created varying from studios, loft apartments and offices, and flats with roof terraces and gardens.

 

The brown field site is redefined as a cliff and a garden.