Situated on the main road overlooking the sea, the site features an outstanding view over the shore stretching between Dbayeh and Jounieh. However the Main road being higher than the natural level of the land by more than 12 meters, the main issue was to bring the building high enough above ground, and provide enough parking spaces for the project.
Our Solution
The horseshoe layout of the proposed scheme is directly derived from the architectural intentions and revolves around openness and accessibility: 1. Openness to the sea: The project features a big opening in its center guaranteeing the view to the sea at all times. This is expressed as a terrace overlooking the horizon, and that could be potentially used for a restaurant or during banquets, etc. The view-through is inspired from the site’s specific conditions and does not obstruct the panorama that existed before any construction. It only frames it. 2. Openness and Accessibility: The open to sky horseshoe layout provides the project with a serene and welcoming sense of arrival, and floods the entire spaces below ground with natural light and natural ventilation. It also contains the ramp going down to the parking in the basements exposing all the commercial spaces on all levels to the raiders. An original concept.