A new multipurpose building on a prominent corner site in Beirut City Centre. The project was the result of a competition initiated by the client, Semiramis Real Estate. Robert Adam Architects were subsequently employed as consultant architects, working in collaboration with the creators of the winning design, Dagher and Hanna Architects to form a detailed design proposal for the site.

The site was originally the location of ‘Bab Idriss,’ one of the 7 medieval gates to the old city and therefore holds great importance within the city. The proposal draws on the ‘historic memory’ of the site, relating physically and symbolically to the various historic periods in Beirut’s development. A contemporary rooftop beacon or tripod will emphasise the corner site, and is in keeping with the location along the axis of the roman gateway to the city.  Similarly, the proportioning of the building, its recessed balconies and its set backs, echo the Ottoman period town houses and create a characteristic streetscape. The proposal is also consistent with the sites’ status as a formal gateway entrance into the Place De L’etoile, created under the French mandate in Beirut.

The façade is carefully articulated with graded levels of detail and embellishment. Detail is explicit on the corners of the site. Thereafter, detailing is progressively simplified, creating stripped-back, classical elevations. The proposals will create a building that whilst classical, also reinterprets traditional Ottoman and Islamic detailing and provides a focus between the old centre and the surrounding modern city.