Design for Highrise Residences in Beirut Complete
The design for the first phase of Waterfront City in Beirut, which will include 270 residences rising eight levels above street level, has been completed.
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor
Beirut, Lebanon—The design for the first phase of Waterfront City in Beirut, which will include 270 residences rising eight levels above street level, has been completed by SB Architects, which previously won an international design competition for the master-planning and design of the entire 48-acre mixed-use project. The first phase of residences at Waterfront City was announced in 2011 and has almost completely sold out prior to construction.
A joint venture between Beirut-based Ste Joseph G. Khoury et Fils Holding and Dubai-based development partner Majid Al Futtaim, Waterfront City aims to create a new destination within the city, long known as the “Paris of the Middle East,” and in recent decades having emerged from the shadow of war. Located about 10 miles northeast of Beirut’s CBD, Waterfront City will revolve around a pedestrian promenade elevated about 20 feet above sea level, according to the completed design.
The promenade is the defining concept of SB Architect’s master plan, and overlooks the Joseph Khoury Marina, the largest marina in Beirut and one of the largest in the Mediterranean. Running the length of the marina, the development’s esplanade will embraces a mix of precedents, says the firm, from the Corniche Beirut, with its view of the Mediterranean, to the La Concha esplanade in San Sebastian, Spain, with its public spaces connected to ancient shopping streets. The design will also pay homage to such world-renowned waterfronts as Venice, Stockholm and San Francisco.
All Promenade Residences, accessible via semi-private elevators, will sport views of the sea to the west and the Lebanon Mountains to the east. Penthouses on the upper levels will include planted rooftop terraces, while the first-floor residences will open onto terraces complete with pools and pool houses. Throughout the project, the hues of limestone block, wood louvers and other natural materials provide a counterpoint to the contemporary architecture, notes SB Architects.
The company collaborated with landscape architecture firm Sean K Simms on the master plan and worked with local architecture firm Erga Group on the design of Phase One. SB Architects will continue work on future phases, which will include further retail development, more residential units and a hotel, as well as a shopping mall and commercial office space. The development will be completed in four phases over the next 15 years, and when complete Waterfront City will total more than 5,000 new residences.
