The Annex is to be located at the Northern end of Lot 3 Minaa al Hosn, Beirut. So as not to affect and obstruct the view to and from the Grand Serail building, it is proposed that the Annex be built below grade. The most appropriate form to fit the program into the site is the Torus form. The Torus was selected for two reasons: to minimize obstruction and for ease of construction. The intersection of the ground plane with the top of the Torus translates into an ellipse in plan, thus allowing for the least protrusion possible in front of the Grand Serail. The highest point of the planted shell is at 1 m above the ground level of the Grand Serail. Thanks to the intrinsic geometry of the Torus, standard size modular formwork can be used for the construction of the complex shape.
