ARCHITECTURE &
ENGINEERING
Thesis Project, 2022-2023
Year: 2nd year Master
Work with thesis partner - Competition
Award: Finalist
Location: Beirut
An investigation and redesign of Beirut's Port and surrounding area, prompted by the disastrous explosion of 2020.
This project is one of two parts of my thesis project. I introduce them as two parts because this first, more holistic part, analyses the area and details our master plan design. This part was submitted into Inspireli's Beirut Port Competition and was among the finalists of the 7th Inspireli awards.
See the second part of the project here
The explosion in 2020 is believed to have been caused by the ignition of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, which had been stored in a warehouse at the city’s port for years. [1] It caused severe damage to the surrounding area and was felt as far as 240 km away in Cyprus and measured as a 4.5 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale by researchers in Jordan. [2]
Below, you can see a size comparison between Beirut, Milano and Manhattan, damaged houses were reported within the 10 km radius.
References:
[1]
https://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/beirut-blast-similar-quake-45-magnitude-%E2%80%94-jso
Explosion
Heavily affected constructions
IMM Methodology
Throughout our design we planned to follow the Integrated modification methodology (IMM) Methodology. It advises one to inspect/analyse: Porosity, Permeability, Proximity, Diversity, Interface, Accessibility, and Effectiveness.
From the beginning we focused on understanding how to divide the master plan into volumes and voids for maximum effect. The voids were just as important as the volumes, as Beirut lacks greenery and therefore our goal was to increase it as much as possible.
Using the IMM methodology we maximised the effectiveness of the whole project. As the port has different zones with different functions it was important to understand their interfaces clearly, how the public transportation works in Beirut which enabled us to limit the car and promote pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.
Layout Concept
Mobility
The three colours represent
different mobility; for cars,
pedestrians and bikes.
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The grid
A 3x3 block grid was used in the proposed master plan. Each block is 10x10 meters.
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Central courtyard
The buildings were designed around a central courtyard.
Roof gardens
The vegetation was
maximized by adding roof
gardens to the buildings.
Axonometry
Access
Multiple access points to enter
the communal courtyards
Concept diagrams
Height
Progressively ascending height towards
the highway. Thus separating the traffic while preserving the human scale
Corner
Encompassing the structured grids we
placed curved buildings intended to house various societally sustaining functions
Center
The design is centered around the focus point depicted in the image above. It contains the financial district and has strong connections to the surrounding grids and the memorial
Masterplan
Memorial & Downtown Concept
Radius
We incorporated the concept of the disastrous blast radius into our design, in an effort to give the people of Beirut an opportunity to reclaim their city while still remembering the fateful incident.
Volume
The volume was split between to principal areas, the financial district and the memorial site which houses the museum and other displays in memorial of the accident.
Pedestrian Path
Engaging paths lead pedestrians on an adventure through the open space.
Green ways
Enhancing the playful paths, green areas are spread throughout beckoning passersby to visit and sojourn.
