2022 Port of Beirut Renewal Competition, Lebanon Architecture Design Contest News
Port of Beirut Renewal Competition 2022
13 September 2022
Inspireli Beirut Port Renewal Competition has its Winners
Port of Beirut Renewal Competition Winners
On Sept 8th, 2022 we held a ceremony at Sursock Museum in Beirut, Lebanon, to announce the winners (replay will be on www.inspireli.com/news and YouTube soon) of The Beirut Port competition as part of the 7th annual Inspireli Awards.
Beirut Port competition is 4th design competition as part of the Inspireli Awards, the largest international architecture competition for students regardless of their economical, ethical or social background.
COMPETITION ORIGINS
Almost 2 years ago, Inspireli offered help to Beirut after the devastating explosion in Aug 4, 2020, by organizing this competition. Our help was accepted and we became the official organizer of a competition for the city of Beirut.
Inspireli’s goal was to show that Beirut is not alone in these times of crisis. The competition was organized free of charge, both for the students to apply and for the Municipality of Beirut as a receiver of the designs, too.
PROJECTS
For a year, many universities and students from 43 countries around the world worked on the project in their University studios and it resulted in 249 projects submitted by 579 participants. Winning projects are offered to the Municipality of Beirut with the aim to help the first steps or renewal of the destroyed port and bringing ideas on how to integrate more public spaces into the port area.
The two round voting system with more than 800 jurors selected first the 40 finalists – see the Finalist gallery here – out of which then the best 4 project and 4 honorary mentions were awarded in Beirut last week.
THE WINNERS
1st place Category International Projects
goes to Chee Kin Tan and Jennifer Wei Zhang (Malaysia and China) from Tsinghua University, with the Project “The Beirut Lines“
1st place Category Lebanese projects:
Sergio Zgheib, Peter Aoun, Julien Mikhayel, Nour Kreidy, Rita Abi Zeid, Lea Lahoud and Thea Bechara (Lebanon) from Lebanese University, with the Project “Beirut Port: An Urban Life Generator
2nd place
goes to Růžena Mašková, Jakub Tomašík, Adam Rössler (Czech Republic) from Czech Technical University – faculty of Civil Engineering, dept. of Architecture, and the Project “PORT OF BEIRUT“
3rd place
goes to Ruben Epping (Germany) from Lund University Sweden, and the Project “Port of Beirut: Public re-claimation of the waterfront“
Around 20 people from different countries travelled to receive their awards and made a beautiful event at the Sursock Museum in Beirut – you can see the photo gallery of Beirut Port competition winner’s announcement ceremony here.
1st place International Projects
The Beirut Lines
Architecture
Chee Kin Tan, Jennifer Wei Zhang
– Tsinghua University
Malaysia
Instagram: jethro.tan
Project idea
The Beirut Lines envisions a bold elevated public hub, connecting four urban axes of the city and bridging across the existing urban fabric from the northern coastline towards the Green Line – an intervention designed to create a new urban culture, inspiring wider regeneration and synthesis on an urban and social level.
For many years, the Beirut port represented more of a barrier than a connection between the city’s communities and its coast. The reconstruction of the port area opens up the opportunity for a pivotal civic gesture that will both catalyse the area and fill the void of active public spaces in the city.
Project description
Urban Catalyst – The Beirut Lines envisions a bold elevated public hub, connecting four urban axes of the city and bridging across the existing urban fabric from the northern coastline towards the Green Line – an intervention designed to create a new urban culture, inspiring wider regeneration and synthesis on an urban and social level.
A Public Hub – Consisting of a series of (semi) open and multi-levelled courtyard platforms, the mixed-use public hub creates a rich spatial experience that inspires spontaneous moments and interactions between interior and exterior spaces; contained within a singular rectilinear form. Diverse programmes aim to attract both locals and tourists, becoming a starting point for dialogue between different social groups.
Central to the scheme is the permeability of the structure and versatility of space, enabling the freedom to adapt to the public’s needs. While proposing tentative programmes, the architecture does not impose a strict functional narrative on the users, but instead remains polyvalent by providing a framework that allows the programme to evolve with the city and its inhabitants.
Elevated Connectivity – While culturally and morphologically diverse, the compromised mobility network and inward-focused developments of the city have exacerbated the disconnection between the different communities and neighbourhoods in Beirut.
Converging towards the port site, The Beirut Lines becomes the connective element between the active coastline and historic Green Line, interwoven into the existing network of organised spaces in-between. By elevating the structure, The Beirut Lines liberates the ground plane, allowing the brownfield site to recover through phytoremediation using a sea of sunflowers, and creating better connectivity between the city and its seafront.
A Symbol of Collective Hope – The revised port zone is located at the east end of the plot, while the brownfield remediation site opens up different possibilities for the area. We imagine a public recreational landscape at the central seafront, framed by an urban expansion zone which enables various cultural and commercial uses to promote greater social integration and economic viability.
In addition to the pragmatic purpose of the brownfield remediation site, it encapsulates the resilience and strength of Beirut and its people. The memory of the blast and its effects can be observed in two dimensions: the void and the ruins. The remains of the Silos structure (the ruins) are preserved, with wire mesh frames tracing the missing pieces, and stand amidst the sunflower field (the void) as a beacon of hope. Passing through the elevated public hub, users are taken on a journey, following the gradual recovery process of the site. The Beirut Lines extends the historic Green Line into the remains of the cardinal Silos structure, linking the memories of the city.
Technical information
Brownfield Remediation Process and Sunflower Phytoremediation Process
1st place Lebanese Projects
Beirut Port: An Urban Life Generator
Architecture
Sergio Zgheib – Peter Aoun, Lea Lahoud – Rita Abi Zeid , Julien Mikhael, Nour Kreidy, Thea Bechara
– Lebanese University – Faculty of Fine Arts – Furn el Chebbak
Lebanon
Instagram: @zgheibsergio
Project idea
The aim of “Beirut Port: An Urban Life Generator” is to convert Beirut Port from an industrial barrier to an urban connector.
Project description
“Beirut Port: An Urban Life Generator”, is a project that aims not only to regain the functioning of the industrial part of the port, but also to transform it into an international landmark through different strategies. The design approach began by studying the visual permeability, the public and industrial ratios in the port, connections with nonfunctional landmarks, maritime circulation and creation of new water channels within the project.
Some strategies include the creation of a main axis from Electricite Du Liban, through a tunnel under Charles Helou highway directly towards the silos. Soft circulations are incorporated at different spots, one facing the Mar Mkhael Train Station towards Karantina, and one from Mar Mikhael through Charles Helou Bus Station towards the port. All these maintain continuity in the transition and stitching of the now separated regions Karantina, Mar Mikhael, Gemmayze, and Beirut.
The project intends to create a public zone in the port (1st & 2nd queue), through limiting boat traffic and incorporating visitor attraction functions like an opera house and a cultural center, that maintain a dialogue with Martyrs’ Square and serve as a principal entrance from Beirut. The silos are transformed into a memorial linking back to the tragedy of the explosion. Others include a maritime museum, a modern arts museum, a convention center and a commercial center. Facing Charles Helou Bus Station is a mixed-use residential area with a souks street at the very end line near the sea. Taking into account the strategic location of the port and the train station’s historical location near the port, we created a metro station on the 3rd queue as main attraction point. Hence, people coming from the cruise terminal have the possibility to reach out to any location in the country and vise versa. This generates further economic gain and easy access to the port.
The industrial zone (current cranes zone) is restudied and incorporates high tech systems such as high bay storage systems, drone controls, automated vehicles, etc.. . Spaces are studied to serve with maximum efficiency, solving the problem of wasted spaces in the port. The link with Karantina region is also rehabilitated by transforming the region into a economic district, and building an urban balcony that extends along the peripheries.
Finally, our project aims to give a new significance to the Beirut port, through turning it into a main component for the regeneration of Beirut urban life.
Technical information
The industrial part of the port follows a sustainable and self-sufficient design with its high bay storage system made of steel structures and automated panels and trucks, controlled by modern softwares to allow a variety of storage options while reducing the need of space. It is entirely covered by solar panels to ensure the supply of electricity needed to operate.
Water collecting vessels float around the commercial basins of the port to filter the water from all sorts of pollutants and store it in an underground fire water tank for a faster response to emergencies.
Smaller silos are located near the bulk terminal and new ones are added in different Lebanese ports (Saida, Jounieh etc..) for the decentralization of wheat stocking, avoiding future shortage crisis of this essential human need. Moreover, a train station is implemented in the industrial zone to facilitate the transit of merchandise across the country.
Vessel circulation in the port is regulated and filtered as we move towards the public zones, where it becomes almost non-existant. Typological levels are studied and exploited allowing a proper integration of various functions such as the metro lines, parkings, and waterfront promenades at lower levels.
Previously on e-architect:
26 Jan 2022
Port of Beirut Renewal Competition Extended
Port of Beirut Renewal Competition News
The Inspireli Competition to Renew the Port of Beirut has extended its duration – now the deadline is July 14th, 2022.
Students from all around the world are invited contribute their work to the renewal of the hard-pressed city. Let’s make the dream of the founders of INSPIRELI AWARDS a reality. Let’s help Beirut to be born again!
The aim is to offer humanitarian aid to the city of Beirut through the unique designs and innovations of students’ projects.
As universities around the world start their school year differently, this allows for more of them to embed the topic as their summer semester works, bringing yet more global attention to the uneasy situation in the explosion-destructed port of city of Beirut.
The extension also helps students who are almost wrapped up with their winter semesters to fine tune their project for the competition, as professor Ibtihal Y. El-Bastawissi, dean of the faculty of Architecture, design and built environment at the Beirut Arab University told us about a group of about 100 students already working several months on the topic at their design studios.
Inspireli held a panel discussion at the Live Talk No. 8 on Jan 13th, 2022, with 12 professors from 7 different universities from Lebanon, Albania, Egypt, Czechia and Slovakia, who already incorporated the theme into their winter semester. We asked about the key problems that students faced and the overall experience.
“My students faced several key questions. The first is the size of the project and the absence of more specific parameters … this competition is an ideological task which is an advantage, but on the other side disadvantage. The advantage is for total freedom of design and the disadvantage is the absence of mantinels.” Pointed out doc. Jaroslav Dadˇa, Ph.D., deputy head of department of Architecture from Czech Technical University in Prague.
Dr. Charbel Maskineh, an Assistant professor at the Lebanese University talks about a cultural aspect. ”Something interesting was to sensibilize the students towards the port, what is the port for the city… In our society there is an unawareness about the importance of the port for the city… so it was an opportunity to work on a big scale like that and to rethink the relation between the city and the port.” Says Dr. Maskineh.
You can watch the Live Stream to hear all the teachers’ insights on https://www.inspireli.com/en/awards/news.
This competition is announced by Beirut Municipality (Lebanese republic Beirut city council) and OEA Beirut (Order of Engineers & Architects – Beirut) and organized by Inspireli Awards, Department of Architecture, CTU in Prague & Alexandre Zein.
As more questions and details raise, Inspireli is updating the competition website with the documentation, FAQ section, or current photos from the port.
Visit the Inspireli website https://www.inspireli.com/en/awards/beirut-documents to read more and to submit you competing designs!
Port of Beirut Renewal Competition 2022 image / information from Inspireli
Inspireli Awards 2022
Inspireli Awards 2022
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Lebanese Architecture Design – chronological list
Beirut Architecture Tours by e-architect
CH730 Villa, Chnaniir
Architects: DAZARCHITECTS
image courtesy of architecture studio
Villa in Chnaniir
International Fair of Tripoli Building by Oscar Niemeyer
Design: Architect Oscar Niemeyer, Brazil
photograph courtesy Styliane Philippou
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Architecture Competitions
Architectural Competitions : links
Architecture Competitions – architectural selection below:
Wilcox Road South Lambeth Competition, London, England, UK
Wilcox Road South Lambeth Competition
New London Architecture King’s Cross Design Competition, London, England, UK
New London Architecture King’s Cross Design Competition
Weissenhof in Stuttgart open urban planning ideas competition, Stuttgart, Germany
photo courtesy of IBA’27
Weissenhof Stuttgart open ideas competition
Hangar Ticinum Competition 2021
Hangar Ticinum Competition
Inspireli Awards – 2016
Comments / photos for the Port of Beirut Renewal Competition 2022 winners designs news page welcome