LivLeb

12 billion US dollars are already requested by Lebanese officials t from the international community to invest in development of local infrastructure. This spending on infrastructure over the next seven years is essentail to deal with the huge presence of Syrian refugees in the country. Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s adviser on Syrian refugees said : “We estimate that we need around $1.5 billion in investments in infrastructure each year. The Council of Development and Reconstruction is working on a master plan for the needs of Lebanon and we will send this report to the international community, World Bank and other international banks to obtain long-term loans with a 1.4 percent interest only.” On April 5, representatives from 70 national delegations, major donors and humanitarian and development organizations met in Brussels to raise funds for countries hosting Syrian refugees. At the conference, Hariri urged the international community to finance major infrastructure projects ...

Snøhetta has won a competition to design the headquarters of Banque Libano Francaise in Beirut, the firm's first project in Lebanon. Oslo- and New York-based Snøhetta was selected for the project with a design for a high-rise block with chequerboard-patterned facades. The building will also feature plant-covered terraces carved into the roof and walls. The terraces will provide staff at the headquarters of the Lebanese bank Banq ue Libano Francaise (BLF) with access to outdoor spaces, which the architects hope will become "social hubs" for the institution.But the outdoor space and vegetation are also intended as a symbol of sustainability. "In a time of profound change and transformation, the BLF is an ideal partner for Snøhetta with our shared ideals of sustainability, community, and dialogue," said Snøhetta founding partner Kjetil Trædal Thorsen. Interiors will feature stepped seating areas, lounges set on platforms and private meeting spaces contained ...

Beirut Terraces rethinks the concept of the skyscraper, creating a vertical village composed of thin, elegant platforms layered in a playful formation. By offering lavish outdoor spaces, breathtaking views, and meticulously composed lofts, architects Herzog & DeMeuron bring an unprecedented way of living to crowded and dense Beirut. The architects' most conceptual work - the VitraHaus project - is most likely the root of the "stacked" methodology adopted for this project in Beirut. However, the Beirut terraces are much more complex in composition, offerings apartments that range from 250sqm to 1050sqm and come in the form of simplexes, duplexes, and townhouses. Moreover, the project's most seductive quality, its terraces, range from 28sqm to 400sqm. The building sits on a podium that occupies the entire lot, with the tower rising on 65% of the surface area. All 132 living units benefit from terraces and views, and they are placed w...

High-end residential tower, built on the highest point in Ashrafieh in a quiet upscale neighborhood. The property Sky Gate was built on, lies between Georges Haimari Street on one side and Ashrafieh Street on the other.  This distinguished residential tower is located between “Tilal de Beyrouth” building and “Atomium Towers”, right behind Hotel Gabriel and a few steps away from ABC Mall. Sky Gates distinctive design is a product of the  renowned Architect, Nabil Gholam. It consists of 40 floors, built to the highest standards of quality, comfort and refinement. The building will be surrounded by over 3,500 sqm of lush gardens and landscaped areas, along with water features. The project will accommodate a first-class health club and fitness center, including indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a sauna and steam rooms. The tower is composed of the following four superposed blocks: The first block (floors 1 to 9) includes two apartments per floor of 328 sqm and 4...

OPA open platform for architecture has announced that soon they will begin with the construction of ‘casa brutale’ in Faqra, Lebanon.  The house is the debut, cutting-edge project of OPA, officially released in july 2015, which became instantly viral after its publication on designboom here, and was shared by numerous media and design platforms worldwide. Designed for the people that want to live literally and fi guratively on the edge, ‘casa brutale’ was deemed to be a house suitable for james bond and received feedback both applauding the design and questioning the implementation of its construction. ‘casa brutale’ will be built on the exclusive faqra mountain outside beirut, at an altitude of 1600 meters, more specifically, 150 meters below the peak. the cliff residence has grown since the first concept and it is now 270 square meters (it used to be 180sqm) with an estimated project budget of 2.5million USD. It can now accommodate up to six people and has an undergrou...