B●PORT

Faculty of Architecture and Design STU in Bratislava

Project idea

The assignment consists of a selected topic for the architectural-urban competition for the port in Beirut, which is organized by INSPIRELI AWARDS. The competition assignment consists of the reconstruction of the destroyed port in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, destroyed by the explosion of an ammonium nitrate warehouse on August 4, 2020. The selection of the thesis assignment consists in the design of a personal port.
THE PROGRAM
The port terminal must function flawlessly with the main operational areas: check-in, baggage, information, tickets, administration, departure hall, arrival hall and waiting hall. In addition to the compulsory program, students have the freedom to design a so-called complementary program that requires recreational areas, cultural areas, commercial and socio-economic areas, memorial areas, transport ... etc.

Project description

SITUATION
The assigned plot is located on a promontory approximately in the middle of the Lebanese coast, which is an ideal location and is easily accessible from almost anywhere in Lebanon. Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon and the country's main port. It has 361,366 inhabitants and 2.1 million including the surrounding metropolitan areas. Beirut is the commercial center of the region and is sometimes referred to as the Paris of the Middle East due to its cosmopolitan atmosphere. The exact location of the building was chosen when the iconic fortress was destroyed by an explosion.

Technical information

CONTEXT / PROGRAM OF THE PROPOSAL
The proposal for the location of the passenger port terminal - a check-in facility for passengers on the property and its material-spatial solution should result from wider urban planning and spatial compositional contexts. The architectural solution of the building should take into account the character of the building, functional and operational requirements, current design trends, respect the principles of sustainable construction - environmental and ecological principles of creation and the related use of alternative construction technologies and materials, with a contemporary modern architectural expression.
ORIGIN AND OBJECTIVES OF THE SOLUTION The design concept is based on several aspects. The main aspect was the relationship of the interior with the exterior, the relationship of the city with the coast and the sea, and the relationship of mass and force. The construction object is based on all these aspects, but the main inspiration was the sea, its animals, plants and movements. The resulting mass is an image of the sea and a reflection of the border of the coast to create a connection between the spaces. The object also responds to the character of the existing terrain and its orientation. The object is designed as a growing mass from the terrain, which is flat, and we are creating the possibility of using the roof as a walkable roof with interesting views of the surroundings and the main view of the silo and the explosion site.
The land in the Lebanese city of Beirut near the country's main port has a flat terrain, thanks to such conditions it is easy to work with the object. The connection to the main road is solved from the south side of the plot, while it is important to solve the connection to the underground floor and the garage. The construction object is designed as a free-standing object, the eastern side of which emerges from the terrain, creating an access area to the walkable roof. The object was designed to be barrier-free.