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Status

Unbuilt

Date

2007

Location

Saida, Lebanon

Team

Fouad Samara
Zeina Nawfal

A plinth, tower, and box 

Our competition entry for what we believed a prominent addition to the seaside corniche in Saida, developed into three components: a stone plinth; a stone tower delicately balanced on it; and a glass box atop it.

Diluting the monolithic fabric 

The stone plinth and five story tower house the majority of functions and vertical circulation. The fabric is solid with windows scattered within it as part of its texture. There is no reading of floors that dilutes its monolithic presence in dialogue with Saida’s ancient Sea Fort. The only significant ‘opening’ is the entrance to the two storey loggia on the ground floor where the plinth and the tower meet, and crank into the site reinforcing the entrance and the tension with the glass box above.

The built components

Seen as the piano nobile, the glass box contrasts dramatically with the stone plinth and tower. It is light, aligns itself to the street, and advertises the functions within. Its multi-purpose hall on the 1st floor has a large window looking towards Saida’s beach, the Sea Fort, and stadium beyond. The multi-purpose hall has gentle stairs to the north that cascade down to the back garden 2.1m below and that acts as an extension to the multi-purpose hall during functions and exhibitions.
Suspended above the multi-purpose hall, the lecture theatre is given a glazed façade to the street that strips it of its traditional ‘black box’ definition, allowing it to engage with its physical environment both day and night. External blinds offer sun protection and internally blackout blinds are available when needed.

 

Adaptation of existing built materials  

The fabric of the building has two materials: stone and glass. The selected stone is the same sandstone used in the Sea Fort, the Khan (souk / market), and other prominent buildings in Saida. It is a material that ties the building to its architectural environment, both contextually and historically.

Phoenician heritage 

The glass is intended to contrast with the stone and to offer degrees of transparency and translucency that engage the senses, provides diffused light into the multi-purpose hall, and dramatically animates the building at night, especially during events.
Channel glass produces a homogeneous surface that allows diffused light into the multi-purpose hall during the day, and glows at night announcing events and activity to the surrounding. Behind this translucent skin the steel columns and beams, ramp, and roof slabs are visible in silhouette adding to the intrigue and layering of the building. The Phoenician orjouane color (purpura) is used for the eastern internal wall cladding of the lecture theatre celebrating the city’s ancient heritage.