Beirut, Spears street… The smell of shawarma nearby at the famous Barbar, the color of purple Jacaranda in spring, lemon and olive trees, the color of pomegranate. A yellow building on plot 3407, maybe by the architect Samir Hejal, its wrought iron details mentioned in history books. Yellow because it’s not in stone, but in this French Mandate period, maybe it is too early to express the modernity of concrete as is.
A renovation to create new modern and flowing apartments. 2 per floor while respecting facades and structures. In the basement, a limited parking within the structure and a gym with high windows to the street. Per floor, lofty and flowy apartments, with surprises on mezzanines, planted balconies, cross ventilation and ground floor terraces. On the roof, a terrace with a common jacuzzi, a mini-spa, communal table for meals and conversations, some changing rooms and bathrooms under a tent and around a pomegranate tree.
On the facade, a beige-grey stone paint, yellow in its aggregates. Bare-bone vintage shutters can now open either as the traditional slide-fold or as an awning. Occasional brass fixtures draw stars on the facade at night. Back in the staircase, a poem by Rumi unfolds floor after floor.
Project Status: Ongoing.
Designed by Karim Nader, Ivana Nestorovic and Aboud (Abdel Elah) Abu Omar
MEP Engineering by Bureau Elias about Khaled
Branding Strategy by Mary abi Nader.