Opening Ports to the Future

Project idea

Destruction / Reconstruction : D/R



The city of Beirut has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years, a long time and a unique history unparalleled in the world. Located on a peninsula midway along the Mediterranean coast, Beirut is one of the most important port cities in Lebanon. Beirut has a unique culture with a diverse mix of religions and ethnic groups. Even within this unique cultural background, the city of Beirut has a history of destruction and rebirth. We will keep the memory of this sad history alive as traces, while opening a port suitable as the sea gateway to Beirut for the future.

We focus on the three destructions, including the explosion, that have determined the current urban transformation of Beirut: the First World War and the subsequent conflict, and the two rebirths after the destruction, and present a third rebirth in response to the explosion.



The 1st D/R

From the 1890s until World War I, the city developed mainly around the Old City. In 1919, the city was devastated by the First World War and a new urban plan was drawn up. The map from that time shows a north-south axis (Anréby Street), which still exists today, and is thought to have been the main axis of Beirut. Later, during the French Mandate period, eight radial roads were planned with Anrevy Street as the center. Two of these, east-southeast and east-west, were deleted because they intersected with historic sites and facilities. The remaining six axes still exist today as a grid that forms the center of the old city. 1941 marked the official independence of Lebanon, and with the increase in population, a new urban plan was drawn up. A ring road was established around the old city (so that there would be no direct contact with the old city from the outer edges.) From there, large new arterial roads were built to serve the city from east to west, north to south.



The 2nd D/R

When the conflict broke out in 1961, the Damascus Road (the main road to the east; the Green Line?) The city was divided into two parts by the Damascus Road (the main road in the east; the Green Line?). The city was divided in two, with the present Victims' Square in particular the scene of fierce fighting. The history of these cities shows that each axis and grid of the city has existed in the past, from the First World War to the French Mandate and the conflict, and that they are still intermingled today.



The 3ed D/R

The Beirut Port Explosion of 2020 caused extensive damage to a wide range of buildings. We propose to generate a new grid for this port site, which will find the wavy grid created by the dynamics of the current artificially reclaimed shoreline outline and the naturally formed shoreline prior to reclamation, and weave into it the distortion of the urban grid caused by the previous destruction and regeneration of the site. We propose to generate this site with a new grid that incorporates the distortion of the urban grid caused by the destruction and regeneration of the past. Here, architecture, landscape, and port functions are blended together to form a new volume for the future of Beirut.



The wavy grid is transferred to the existing site in response to the existing wharf, forming volumes on the seaward and landward sides, where the necessary functions are conceived. The lawns and water tables that follow the flow of this wavy grid will be the open spaces that connect the volumes, and at the same time, will be the major circulation of the port, linking these various functions. These will provide a solution to the problems of today's urban Beirut, such as traffic congestion and the lack of green space.



From the west side near the old city, the functions of the port are located in the following order: passenger terminal, commercial facilities, museum, and sports facilities. Each of these functions will serve as a symbolic place for the citizens of Beirut, and will be appropriate for the port of Lebanon's capital city.

As the largest port in Lebanon, the port will be reborn as a symbolic place for the citizens of Beirut, weaving together Beirut's long history of destruction and rebirth, with its diverse ethnic and religious mix.

Project description

The project consists of four main functions. They are, from the west, the passenger terminal, commercial area, museum, and leisure facilities.



Passenger Terminal

On the westernmost peninsula, a passenger terminal will be designed in the same location as before the Beirut explosion. The passenger terminal will have a large roof with a characteristic undulating curved surface that will cover two levels of volume. The second level, on the sea side, is a waiting area with a view of the Mediterranean Sea and the passengers getting on and off the ship. The land side is also a vast terrace, with light streaming in through the gaps in the large roof. This is the first place for those entering Lebanon to set foot in the country, and the main functions are designed to be entered.



Commercial Area

The commercial area is located to the southeast of the passenger terminal, and consists of three surfaces that are transformed along a wavy grid to form a roof. The commercial area consists mainly of a three-story volume with a number of stores. Each level has a food court, café, and rest area, providing a place for many people to relax. The courtyard is lined with trees, and silos can be seen from the second and third floors. The commercial area will also be adjacent to a vast terminal for buses and cabs, which will be the key to the revitalization of Beirut's long-standing urban challenge of traffic congestion and public transportation.



Art Museum

A museum is planned to the northeast of the commercial area. The museum will be a space where visitors can browse through a large number of documents related to the concept of this project: World War I, the conflict, and the Beirut bombing accident. The multiple surfaces of the building are distorted and bent as if they were carved out of the ground, forming the roof, façade, and walls, creating a complex spatial composition. When viewed in plan, the design resembles a silo surrounded by a wall. The main area, extending from the main entrance to the back of the building, is a long, open space that extends all the way to the roof. It also houses a restaurant and café.



Leisure Facilities

The leisure facility is planned to the southeast of the museum. Beirut has only a limited number of such sports facilities, and we believe that it is necessary in this social context to secure an area where citizens can exercise. The east side of the port will be transformed into a place where citizens can easily exercise. The gymnasium has space for four basketball courts and a 50-meter pool. The gymnasium also has space for four basketball courts and a 50-meter pool, along with plenty of seating for spectators. This leisure zone will be open to the public and attract many people.



Traffic Plan

The volumes are arranged along the aforementioned wavy grid, similar to the circulation flow, and each volume is designed to naturally draw people in. The site is easily navigable by car, with a two-lane highway running east-west. Underground parking is provided for each of the volumes, and is sufficient for each function. The rest of the site, which is not occupied by volumes, is open space with green areas and a water table. The eastern part of the site was planned to remain the main site of trade in Lebanon, as it was before the Beirut explosion, with a large container area and a large number of cranes. The path for trucks and other cargo transports and the path for general use vehicles on the west side were separated by gates, and circulation was arranged so that they do not intermingle.

Technical information

At the heart of this project lies an important keyword: destruction and regeneration. One of the issues that we considered to be of concern for the revitalization and reconstruction of Beirut was urban transportation. The streets of Beirut have remained or disappeared over its long history. Therefore, the city has been planned many times, but there is no regularity and it is complicated. The destruction of the railroads during the conflict has limited the means of transportation in Beirut to vehicles. Public transportation includes buses, minibuses, and cabs, but there are no bus or cab terminals in the city center, except under elevated highways, and roadways are used as terminals. On development sites near the port, there are inadequate parking measures and chronic traffic congestion.

We considered the need to secure arterial roads and parking zones and to develop the terminal against this social backdrop. First, in the commercial area, which is expected to be visited by many Beirut residents, a terminal was established to serve as a base for buses and cabs. There is space for about 30 buses to park, and cabs can also be laid along the lines of the commercial area. In addition, an underground area is proposed as a parking space for general vehicles. Originally, as mentioned above, on-street parking was the main cause of traffic congestion. The parking zone is dropped from ground level, and there is also a line underground that passes through the vehicles of those who use this space, connecting the parking zones for each function underground. By clearly separating the lines for vehicles parking here, vehicles passing through here, and vehicles using the container area to the east, smooth traffic will be ensured.

Another urban problem in Beirut is the small amount of green space. Aside from the carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles, Beirut also has some very difficult environmental challenges. As a way to curb those issues, this site has enough green space to meet the needs of the city. Extensive plantations of Beirut cedars, which were once used for making mummies in Egypt, and about 47 other species of trees cover the site. Water tables will also be scattered along the lines of this green space, transforming the site into a place rich in water and greenery.

Documentation

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