hassoun

This project was commissioned by the cdr, the tendering arm of the Republic of Lebanon, to add office and conferencing spaces to the existing Grand Serail Building, the seat of the Prime Minister-ship in Lebanon.
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.

For the offices to function with natural light and ventilation, an inverted cone cut-out at the North end intersects the pure form of the shell structure, introducing a three story curtain wall. with this curtain wall, three levels of open plan offices are naturally lit. The highest executive floor is not only lit, but also benefits from direct views to the Mediterranean Sea. From the roof garden of the Annex, two cascading stairs wrap around the elliptical shell and reach the lower level of the first basement’s outdoor terrace. From here two internal stairs cascade down to the level of the second basement, where the reception area of the Multipurpose Hall and the conference rooms are located. A natural flow down to the Multipurpose Hall from the Grand Serail is hence possible. This procession from the internal courtyard, out on to the northern balcony of the Grand Serail, and finally down to the outdoor terrace of the Annex, offers a surprising sequence of spaces and views to the visiting VIP.

Beirut!

wow looks bigger than I thought, thanks Hassoun!

__________________

Ramazzotti

looks more like a park

Vygotsky

Interesting design

__________________