past present preserved rest by karine sarkissian

pastpresent

preserved rest

recalling cultural identity

from the in-between

Designer

Karine Sarkissian

Institution

Marylan Institute College

of Art

Department

Environmental Design

Thesis project

Academic year 2012-13

Compilation of information,

research, and

thoughts in response

to a thesis study.

Morphosison urban

planning

case studies:

1. empty lots: transforming space in brazil p. 55

2. moments of pause: melbourne laneways p. 56

3. tacticle urbanism p. 57

4. re-purposed allyways p. 66

contents:

p. 05

Abstractp. 07

Initial Investigation

p. 63

On-site Observations

p. 71

Design Outcome

p. 87

Hayy Designs

p. 99

Thesis Statement

05

ABSTRACT

For a city to stay the same, it needs to change.

Cities around the world constantly change over time. In effect,

most evolve in response to the times, the surroundings, and

socioeconomic as well as political situations.

The urban morphology of Beirut however, takes on an extra

element which dictates the city it has become. The fifteen-year

civil war is a prominent element that has made its mark.

The amnesiac development of cities, such as Beirut, affected by

war and their connections to memory and the urban footprint is

the basis of my thesis investigation.

7

INITIAL INVESTIGATIONBEIRUT

08

MAPS

figure 01 : lebanon and its surrounding

turkey

syria

egypt

iraq

jordan

saudi arabia

israel

cyprus

figure 02 : map of lebanon

L o c a t i o n : M i d d l e E a s t , b o r d e r i n g t h e M e d i t e r r a n e a n S e a , b e t w e e n I s r a e l a n d S y r i a

A r e a : 1 0 , 4 0 0 s q k m ( a b o u t 0 . 7 t i m e s t h e s i z e o f C o n n e c t i c u t )

C o a s t l i n e : 2 2 5 k m

C l i m a t e : M e d i t e r r a n e a n ; m i l d t o c o o l , w e t w i n t e r s w i t h h o t , d r y s u m m e r s ; L e b a -n o n m o u n t a i n s e x p e r i -e n c e h e a v y w i n t e r s n o w s

P o p u l a t i o n : 4 , 1 4 0 , 2 8 9 ( J u l y 2 0 1 2 e s t . )

D e m o g r a p h i c s : A r a b 9 5 % , A r m e n i a n 4 % , o t h e r 1 %

L a n g u a g e s : A r a b i c ( o f f i c i a l ) , F r e n c h , E n g l i s h , A r m e n i a n

R e l i g i o n s : 1 7 r e l i g i o u s s e c t s r e c o g n i z e d

5 9 % M u s l i m ( S h i a h a n d S u n n i ) , 3 9 % C h r i s t i a n ( M a r o n i t e , C a t h o l i c , O r t h o d o x ) , 2 % o t h e r ( i n c l u d i n g D r u z e )

09

C a p i t a l : B e i r u t

G o v e r n m e n t : R e p u b l i c

I n d e p e n d e n c e : 2 2 N o v e m b e r 1 9 4 3 ( f r o m L e a g u e o f N a t i o n s m a n d a t e u n d e r F r e n c h a d m i n i s t r a t i o n )

L e b a n o n w a s u n d e r F r e n c h M a n d a t e ( a f t e r W W I , a f t e r t h e f a l l o f t h e O t t o m a n E m p i r e ) . A f t e r b e i n g g r a n t e d I n d e p e n -d e n c e , t h e c o u n t r y w e n t t h r o u g h a 1 5 y e a r c i v i l w a r.

C o n f l i c t i s s t i l l q u i t e p r o m i n e n t i n t h e r e g i o n .

G o v e r n m e n t c o n s t i t u t i o n:P r e s i d e n t : C h r i s t i a n M a r o n i t e

P r i m e M i n i s t e r : M u s l i m S u n n i

H e a d o f C a b i n e t : M u s l i m S h i a h

S e a t s w i t h i n t h e C a b i n e t a r e b a s e d o n a c e n s u s c o n d u c t e d a f t e r t h e I n d e -p e n d e n c e

E c o n o m y :L e b a n o n h a s a f r e e -m a r k e t e c o n o m y a n d a s t r o n g l a i s s e z - f a i r e c o m -m e r c i a l t r a d i t i o n .

H o w e v e r, c o r r u p t i o n i s e v i d e n t i n d e c i s i o n s t a k e n .

URBANISM IN BEIRUT

Patterns within a city are based on location and strategy.

Additionally, social, environmental, and political conditions all play a vital role

in its development and current state.

URBAN MASTERPLANS:

Several urban plans of Beirut were drawn up by international designers, however

many of them were dismissed due to the corrupted form of government

in Lebanon.

1952: 1st official masterplan for the city was adopted. However, the expansion

of the city was not taken into consideration. Roads became too narrow for the

traffic volume.

Each neighborhood eventually began to plan and design their own space.

10

GROWTH IN HISTORY

figure 03 : urban development of beirut

h t t p : / / w w w. s t u d i o - b a s e l . c o m / p r o j e c t s / b e i r u t / d a m a s c u s / a t l a s / c i t y - m a p - b e i r u t - a n d - d a m a s c u s . h t m l


BEIRUT, URBAN GRAIN

figure 04 : beirut, arabic versus french planning

11

12

CITY CENTER: HISTORY AND FUTURE

figure 05 : beirut’s structure and the solidere plan


13

CONFLICT AND DESIGN

Lebanon has been affected by a fifteen-year civil war. Spatial and temporal

elements have presented themselves onto the development of the city.

The approach and re-adaptation of spaces affected by conflict differ. Officials

and designers have opposing opinions on how areas should be rehabilitated.

Presented with physical, political, and economic realities of such context,

decision makers often opt for the easy erasure of the traces of conflict, while

designers often opt for a fetishism of the same traces.

Morphologies are identified and recognized through new equivalence between

mass, void, and organism.

As a result, Identity blurs with memory.

14

civil war (1975 - 1990)

devastating political unrest led to a destructed and

divided Beirut.

Some buildings still retain marks of conflict.

neighborhood life impacted by traffic and unplanned, crowd-ed building scape. Buildings are often in bad shape and electric lines run across and over the streets.

solidere Urban initiative within Beirut; it aims to rebuild the city with the

image of the past

HISTORY AND IDENTITY

15

martyr’s square

part of the Solidere develop-ments. This statue at the center of this square reminds the Lebanese of their solidarity.

religious buildings include churches and mosques places right next to one another

mountains

directly facing the sea have become covered with build-ings and construction sites.

mediteranean sea long coast-line of 225km

figure 06 : beirut’s history and identity

16

CONFLICT AND DESIGN AND MEMORY

E l H a y y : A n e x i s t i n g c o n c e p t f u r t h e r d e v e l o p m e n t b y Ay s a r A r i d a , a p h y s i c i s t a n d u r b a n i s t i n h i s w r i t -i n g Q u a n t u m C i t y.

There are 3 types of memory that built form embodies.

1. Subjective memory: related to meaning

(connect to each individual sense of personal and group identity)

2. Collective memory: preceding civilizations (or ancestors)

3. Recorded memory: memory of the knowledge and worldview of those

who built and lived.

Investigations and solutions will further entail a maintenance of traumatic

form and celebration of war damage - through the concept of ‘hayy’ the typical

‘quartier’ neighborhood life between buildings that once existed.

figure 07 : neighborhood structure/study

17

MIND MAP- RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT

Beirut

Today

Civil War(1975-90)

FrenchMandate

MixedDemographics

Druze Christian Muslim

Maronite Orthodox Sunni Shiah

ExternalControl

Independence1943

Urbanization

Beforeand during

the war Lack of planning

Old Neighborhoods

What used to be there

CulturalTrail (Solidere)

Referencepoints

Ras Beirut Secular

18

URBAN TYPOLOGY

R a s B e i r u t :T h i s n e i g h b o r h o o d r e m a i n s a s o n e o f t h e o n l y s e c u l a r r e g i o n s o f B e i r u t .

T h i s r e g i o n h a s l a r g e l y b e n e f i t e d f r o m t h e A m e r -i c a n U n i v e r s i t y o f B e i r u t , a l o n g w i t h m a n y o t h e r i m p o r t a n t i n s t i t u t i o n s i n t h e a r e a . H a m r a a n d B l i s s s t r e e t s m a i n t a i n a u n i q u e i d e n t i t y a s i m p o r -t a n t l a n d m a r k s t r e e t s i n t h e r e g i o n .

figure 08 : urban landscape, buildings

figure 09 : urban landscape, street/nolli map

19

A r m a n , “ H o p e f o r P e a c e ”T h e s t a t u e c o n s i s t s o f s t a c k e d t a n k s p l a c e d i n a c o n c r e t e c o v e r i n g .

W h a t i s t h e t r u e v a l u e o f t h i s m o n u m e n t ?

H o w d o e s i t c o m m e m o -r a t e w h a t h a p p e n e d ?

T h e r e a r e s t i l l m a n y t a n k s a r o u n d t h e c i t y, w h a t a b o u t t h o s e ?

COMMEMORATION OF WAR

If it is impossible for the Lebanese to reach unanimous agreement over what

their war was about, nothing prevents them from remembering it in a pluralistic

way.

Almost no memorials to the conflict can be found anywhere.

Artist, Arman, has created one of the only non-territorial memorials in

Lebanon--”Hope for Peace.” The sculpture was meant to be placed downtown,

however due to the many memories related to the conflict, it was eventually

placed in the mountains in Yarze. In effect, much about the ‘memory’ is

missing. There is no collection of who passed and no real day of remembrance.

How can people build a collective memory of a conflict that was never truly

resolved?

figure 10 : “hope for peace” by arman

M i c h a e l Yo u n g , T h e D a i l y S t a r

20

POST-WAR ART IN LEBANON

T h i s a r t i c l e , “ O u t o f B e i -r u t ’ ” , w a s t a k e n f r o m t h e M o d e r n A r t O x f o r d .

ARTICLE ANALYSIS:

Contemporary Art Practises in Post War Lebanon.

By Kaelen Wilson Goldie

There has been continuous difficulty in writing and resolving the history of

Lebanon post 1943 (Lebanese Independence). In effect, people still strongly

associate to the past--postcards with old images of what used to be, are still

being sold. The appropriation of history is what it really comes down to. Seeing

as history is usually visualized on the side of the victorious - “history by the

winners”--individuals in Lebanon rather approach history in an ‘unofficial way.’

Allowing the subversive space to be governed by the anecdotal (the hidden,

what has been kept secret) is the way to approach such a history.

There is a temporal disjuncture between the past and the present. Stories

are torn between fact and fiction; between what seems as a straightforward

recollection of past events and what clearly is an interpretation of memories

performed in the present.

“Here and elsewhere; they may be true, or they may not... You see?”

“ O u t o f B e i r u t ” M o d e r n A r t , O x f o r d

21

IDENTITY AND THE NOTION OF PLACE

ARTICLE ANALYSIS:



Beirut is overwhelmed with thresholds. This concept is exhibited through East

and West; and what was or has become wastelands. In consequence, the city

of Beirut was dramatically reconstructed; buildings were torn down, plots

redrawn, patterns and areas rezoned. There has been a dramatic altering of the

layout of Beirut’s spatial environment.

“Images of past and present refuse to conform to a singular notion of place.”

There is a repeated failure to match one view with the other; as if these images

of past and present refuse to conform to a singular notion of place (let alone a

coherent collectively understood historical narrative linking one with the other.

The traumas of the civil war have lead to a failure of nationalism. The art in

Lebanon, by local artists, responds to situations through particular media:

experimental, performance, and urban interventions. The work is mostly

research based, critically engaged with sociopolitical issues related to the

representation of identity.

Furthermore, the recognition of the work is mostly international rather than

local--the local audience remains indifferent to the produced work.



22

POST-WAR ART IN LEBANON


ARTICLE ANALYSIS:



Lebanon’s perpetual identity crisis is intrinsically tied as much to internal

political combustion as is to factors determined by the country’s fixed

geopolitical location.

Relations with orientations towards the West, the Mediterranean region, Arab

states all affect its situation, and are always changing.

These effects are expressed verbally and visually, through form and content of

public discourse and public space.

One of the questions that this brings up is about public spaces and the way

these spaces are thus utilized.

The concept of public space is quite obscure in Lebanon. In effect, all

common public spaces such as streets and plazas are always supervised and

do not allow impromptu actions to occur. Surveillance for protection and

security takes over and people cannot ‘act’ as they please.


23

HAYY VERSUS HETEROTOPIAS

T h i s a r t i c l e , “ H e t e r o -t o p i a s ” w a s w r i t t e n b y M i c h e l F o u c a u l t . I t h a s b e e n t a k e n o u t f r o m ‘ O f O t h e r S p a c e s ’ ( 1 9 6 7 ) .

ARTICLE ANALYSIS:

Heterotopias

By Michel Foucault

Heterotopia is the concept of embracing the “OTHER”.

As Foucault states, “those in which individuals whose behavior is deviant in

relation to the required mean or norm are placed” are defined as heterotopias.

The concept which is exhibited in Foucault’s writing takes on the creation of a

space of illusion that exposes every ‘real space.’ The physical configuration of

heterotopias is the element that matters most.

In essence, a boat (a floating piece of space), a place without a place, that

exists by itself, that is closed in on itself and infinity of the sea is the ideal

Heterotopia.

24

MIND-MAP DESIGN OUTCOME

Trauma and Amnesia of

Civil war

remembering of suffering

spatial + temporal ele-ments

dormant + latentBeirut’s over-urbaniza-

tion

effects: social, political, economic

anomaly in the region (geopolitical)

regional vs. global

east vs.west

old vs.new

lack of national identity

laissez-faire

No real public space in Lebanon

“container vs.contained”

lack of resolu-tion with the

war

collective vs. physical

deliberate era-sure of memory

images of past and present

refuse to conform to singular notion

of place

no spaces where unpredictable can

happen

streets surveillance

irrational formplays counterform

EL-HAYY

effect of memory

no real memorial in Lebanon

to relegate the past

memorials?

network

E l H a y y c o n s i s t s o f a f o r m o f H e t e r o t o p i a . I t a c t s a s t h e ‘ o t h e r ’ t o c o m m o n p u b l i c s p a c e s . i t b e c o m e s t h e s p a c e w h e r e t h i n g s c a n h a p p e n

25

LEBANESE IDENTITIES

D r a w n a n d i n s p i r e d f r o m “ L i f e ’s L i k e T h a t ” b y M i c h a e l K a r a m , P e t e r G r i m s d i t c h a n d M a y a F i d a w i ( i l l u s t r a -t i o n s )

Right: Taxi (service) driverfigure 11

Bottom left: Shisha (Arguile) smokeron the corniche, by the water

figure 12

Bottom right: civil servantfigure 13

26

MAPPING, INVESTIGATIONS

27

figure 14 : urban landscape, buildings and streets

T h e b u i l d i n g s a r e b u i l t w h e r e v e r t h e r e i s s p a c e . N o p l a n n i n g o r z o n i n g c o d e s a p p l y i n n e i g h b o r -h o o d s a r o u n d B e i r u t . T h e s t r e e t s a p p e a r t o h a v e s o m e o r d e r, b u t a l s o w i n d a r o u n d a n d a r e f r a m e d b y t h e s u r r o u n d -i n g b u i l d i n g s .

28

HAYY SPACES

29

figure 15: streets , buildings, and ”hayy’ spaces/ nner courtyards

T h e ‘ H a y y ’ s p a c e s a r e i n -t e r n a l a n d a l m o s t h i d d e n . T h e s e s p a c e s a p p e a r a s s e m i - p r i v a t e , b u t a r e e n t i r e l y p u b l i c , a n d n o t s u r v e i l l e d . T h e i r i n t r i -c a t e s h a p e s a l l o w f r o m i n t e r e s t i n g a n d i n t r i c a t e s p a c e s .

30

HAYY SPACES AND THE STREETS

31

figure 16: hayy and streets

T h e H a y y s p a c e s a r e t h e o n e s I w i l l u n d e r t a k e a n d i m p l e m e n t d e s i g n i n . T h e y a r e t h e h e t e r o t o -p i a s t h a t a l l o w t h e v a l u e o f p u b l i c s p a c e t o e x i s t .

32

HOW PUBLIC ARE ‘PUBLIC SPACES’?

33

figure 17: public spaces, green spaces, and hayy

are public spaces truly public?

T h e ‘ o p e n ’ ( b r o w n ) a n d ‘ g r e e n ’ s p a c e s h a v e l o s t t h e i r e s s e n c e a s p u b l i c s p a c e . N o r e a l p u b l i c l i f e e x i s t s i n t h o s e s p a c e s . Wa t e r f r o n t s , w a l k - w a y s , g a r d e n s a r e a l l s u r -v e i l l e d a n d o v e r t a k e n b y a u t h o r i t i e s a n d p o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s .

34

HAYY? OR PARKING SPACE?

figure 18: erasure of memory?

figure 19: garden, nature overtakes

P h o t o c o l l a g e o f a H a y y S p a c e . I t h a s l o s t i t s c h a r m a n d e s s e n c e , r e n o v a t e d i n t o a p a r k i n g l o t .

35

C a n d y C h a n g i s a n A r -c h i t e c t , U r b a n D e s i g n e r, a n d G r a p h i c d e s i g n . B y a d a p t i n g t h e v a r i o u s m a j o r s s h e h a s t a k e n o n , s h e c r e a t e d h e r o w n d i s c i p l i n e .

S h e c r e a t e s p u b l i c i n -t e r v e n t i o n s t h a t e n c o u r -a g e c o n v e r s a t i o n a m o n g p e o p l e w i t h i n t h e n e i g h -b o r h o o d , a n d t h r o u g h o u t v a r i o u s c i t i e s .

T h e s e a r e e x a m p l e s o f v a r i o u s p r o j e c t s C h a n g h a s s e t u p a r o u n d c i t -i e s . T h e y e n c o u r a g e p e o p l e t o c o n t r i b u t e a n d s t a r t c o n v e r s a t i o n s , a s w e l l a s a s k t h e m s e l v e s q u e s t i o n s . I t b e c o m e s a c o n t i n u o u s c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h t h e c i t y a n d t h e s u r -r o u n d i n g .

URBAN INTERVENTIONS BY CANDY CHANG

Candy Chang believes in transforming cities through art and design.

Cities have emotional connections and relationships to the people that inhabit

them. Re-imagining cities and the way they should be.

The essence of her work is in making cities more comfortable for people.

Moreover, comfort is within the details.

Good urban design engages people with their cities, but also with each other.

It is important to remember that one is never truly alone. In effect, there is

strength of collective wisdom in our lives and the cities we live in.

figure 22: career path

figure 20: ‘before i die”

figure 21: sidewalk psychiatry

36

VIETNAM MEMORIAL, FORMS OF REMEMBRANCE

Memorials embody forms of remembrance; they underline memory

within a culture through mode of public commemoration. In many respects,

this remembrance and public commemoration allow for the discourse

of history, the development of personal recollection and that of cultural

memory. Various forms of monuments and memorials have been created

around the world. Moreover, some take form of sculpture, landscaping, or

even architecture—they express and embody different types of events to

commemorate. The Vietnam Veteran’s memorial by Maya Lin is one, which

poignantly stands out—its unusual form and distinct post-modern style

commemorate such an event the only way possible. In conjunction, the

Lebanese Civil War deserves the same type of memorial—one that is non-

territorial, and one, which deals with an ambiguous history that requires an

urgency of remembrance.

Maya Lin’s Vietnam memorial has brought up many questions in

regards to the way, which the Vietnam War was brought to closure in the

American society. How can society commemorate a work for which its history

and happenings are still in question? How about the fact that it is still

contested? There appears to be a lack of singular and historical narratives that

define the clear-cut purpose and outcome of the war. In a sense, the Lebanese

Civil War could be characterized in the same way. There are no official non-

territorial memorials to remember the happenings of a fifteen-year civil war. In

effect, the war included many various conflicting sects and a continuous series

of events. The justification for the lack of memorial is characterized through

the many opposing narratives and unresolved outcomes. Contrarily to the

Vietnam memorial, which takes on the elements that are worth remembering,

as well as the ideology that one, shall ‘never forget’, Lebanon fails to do so.

T h e a r t i c l e ‘ T h e Wa l l , t h e S c r e e n a n d t h e I m a g e , w r i t t e n b y M a r i t a S t u r k e n , r e p r e s e n t s M a y a L i n ’s a p p r o a c h t o t h e V i e t n a m M e m o r i a l . R e s i s t i n g c e r -t a i n h e g e m o n i e s t h r o u g h m e m o r i a l s a n d a r c h i t e c -t u r e t h a t r e s p e c t s t h e e a r t h ’s o r g a n i c p r o c e s s e s a n d t h e c o n n e c t i o n s t o i t s s u r r o u n d i n g .

37


A memorial to the Civil War in Lebanon should sanctify future wars by

offering a complete narrative with cause and effect intact--the way that is taken

on through the Vietnam memorial. Maya Lin’s memorial allows the event and

the losses of the soldiers to be mourned. She creates a platform for people to

react to the events. The names engraved on the black stone add personality and

a reality to the monument, moving further from a simple modernist sculpture.

Its site specificity gives it a presence and purpose for where it is installed. It is

a literal site-specific piece where it makes use of the land as a material. The

V-shaped wall cuts into the earth embodying a descent into a space distant from

the ‘street level.’ By forcing the viewer to walk down allows for a procession

and a physical act to recognize the past. This memorial is “contemplative

rather than declarative.” As expressed by Krauss ‘s ‘Sculpture in the Expanded

Field’, this piece goes back and forth between architecture vs. non-architecture;

landscape vs. non-landscape; and sculpture vs. non-sculpture. Its undefined

form is largely part of its success; it does not characterize or associate itself and

thus encourages all forms of connections to the viewers. The symbolism that this

memorial draws to the Vietnam War is one that is needed in Lebanon—one that

refuses to glorify a war and a past (which is shameful), one that is pacifist, and

one that is political and emphatically anti-heroic.

“To rush to embrace the memorial as cultural symbol reveals not only

the relief of voicing a history that has been taboo, but also a desire to re-

inscribe that history” (Sturken). The Vietnam memorial becomes a symbol of

remembrance, which is itself a form of erasure. The importance of memorial,

and the need for it in areas such as Lebanon are rooted so much further than

simple physical representation. Memorials bring out a reality and draw the link

to the vague ideology that faintly remains.

38


Furthermore, as stated by Althusser, ‘ideology’ encourages the

connections between the imaginary relationships of individuals to their real

conditions of existence. By facing the memorial (thus history), ideology

and reality come to term in a person’s mind. In finding such link, one then

processes through fields of discourse. Moreover, power according to Foucault,

is not only coerced but also produced through discourse. It is through the

understanding of the past and its reality that empowerment can occur. To

move forward, one must deal with the past, with its reality, through personal

as well as collective discourse. “What is most human about man is his history”

(Foucault).

In conclusion, the resolution of the past and that of history

can only be achieved through the discourse of individual or collective

commemoration. Without such acceptance and closure, one cannot move

forward, and in consequence cannot deal with what once happened. Through

the acknowledgement of past occurring, including events as indistinct as

the Vietnam War or the Lebanese Civil War (with no positive and no concrete

outcome) one can only then begin to cope and respond. The embodiment

of the Vietnam War could have only been represented with a memorial such

as Lin’s. As a result, Lebanon deserves and is in need of the same type of

commemoration. A representation that respects the past without glorification,

but rather understanding and reflection of the lives that were lost and the

martyrs that are not to be forgotten. Lastly, a memorial that lies in the struggles

of narratives allowing us to remember to never forget.

39

I n o r d e r t o c r e a t e t h e i d e a l ‘ H a y y ’ s p a c e s , a n i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f t h e s u r r o u n d i n g s i n e s s e n -t i a l . U n d e r s t a n d i n g w h a t i s a n d w h a t w a s t h e r e m a t t e r s , a n d s h o u l d n o t b e n e g l e c t e d w h e n c r e -a t e d t h e d e s i g n f o r t h e s p a c e s .

T h e n e t w o r k w i l l n o t o n l y c r e a t e i n t e r n a l p u b l i c s p a c e s t h a t s i m p l y c o n -n e c t t o o n e a n o t h e r, b u t a l s o w i l l i n c l u d e a n ‘ h o m -a g e ’ a n d c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e v a l u e o f t h e s p a c e .

CHARACTERIZING SPACES

figure 23: analysis and personal interpretation of spaces

40

STUDY, HAYY IDEAS AND INVESTIGATION OF HAMRA STREET

T h r o u g h t h e t h o u r o u g h i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f t h i s a r e a ( w h i c h i n c l u d e s H a m r a S t r e e t ) , d e v e l o p m e n t s o f ‘ H a y y ’ s p a c e s w i l l c a t e r t h e s u r r o u n d i n g s .

S u b t l e d e s i g n s a n d p u b l i c i n t e r v e n t i o n s w i l l s p e a k t o t h e a r e a s a n d b e c o m e a l m o s t s i t e s p e c i f i c ( l i t e r a l o r f u n c -t i o n a l ) .

figure 24: selected map from ras beirut

41

CONCEPT OF PUBLIC SPACES AT GEHL ARCHITECTS

Protection:

Protection against verhicular traffic

Protection against crime and violence

Protection against unpleasant sensory experiences

Comfort:

Invitation for walking

Visual Contact

Audio Verbal Contact

Invitation for stand/staying

Day/evening/night activity

Varying seasonal activity

Invitations for sitting

Play, recreation and interaction

Delight

Dimensioned at human scale

Positive Aspects of climate

Aesthetic and sensory

J a n G e h l r e m a i n s a s o n e o f t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t u r -b a n p l a n n e r s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d . H i s i d e a l m o d e l i s n o t o n l y c a r r i e d o n b y h i s f i r m b y h a s b e e n a d o p t e d a r o u n d t h e w o r l d i n a l l s o r t s o f p u b l i c s p a c e s .

42

CONCEPT, ADAPTATION OF SPACE

43

figure 25: hayy space collage

figure 26: concept collage

44

From a single neglected space... To an activated public space...

To a network of public spaces... with in�nite possibilities...

CONCEPT DIAGRAM, DESIGN APPROACH

45

figure 27: concept diagram, network of spaces

From a single neglected space... To an activated public space...

To a network of public spaces... with in�nite possibilities...

46

RELIGIOUS SHRINES

In continuing such conversations and conceptualizing of ideas, more elements

unique to Beirut are worth considering.

-Territorial markers are all over the city.

In one respect, many seem to be religious. Larger monumental churches and

mosque exist, but in addition, smaller unique shrines to areas are placed all

over. Important moments, accidents, and points of collision are marked with a

Mary or Joseph statue, or icon of a saint.

By marking spaces religiously, does this become a political statement?

figure 28: type of religious shrines placed around the city

47

POLITICAL MARKERS AND PROPAGANDA

Are such political/ religious markers considered propaganda?

How can one ignore the screaming messages all these signs, labels, spray

painted icons and slogans represent?

Public space becomes claimed by such elements. Religious shrines for

example create a system of ideas of economical and political theory and policy.

Ideas eventually integrate and take over imposing a way of thinking.

Specific visions are broadcast to the people, and where citizens feel the need

to belong to a political group. A Lebanese is not simply ‘Lebanese’ anymore,

but rather a Christian, Sunni, Shiah, Druze; and even further a ‘Aouni’ (support

of Aoun, A Hezbollah supporter... The list becomes infinite. The unity is

present in the people’s response to emergency situations and protection from

external offenders--and yet, internally, fragmentation overtakes.

The traditions, foods, customs are the only linking elements that connect the

Lebanese to each other.

48

TERRAIN VAGUE

Terrain vague is a concept that bridges the gap between public ‘claimed’ space

and private space. It incorporates the in-between, the inaccessible, the broken

down...

These spaces have a certain almost undescribably value where the

overwhelming curiosity of people is completely forgotten. Essentially these

spaces are the opposite of all, they are “un-territorial.”

Heterotopias? Characterized as the “Other” remains as a unique element is

that is forgotten in Lebanon.

figure 29: terrain vague on the raouche corniche, unclaimed green space

49

SEMIOLOGY AND URBANISM BY ROLAND BARTHES

Urban semiotics within the city incorporates the idea of human space and

signifying space. The way we conceive the city has become very close to the

perceiving of consciousness, a growing consciousness is associated to such

views of city scape.

In effect, we begin to use more and more a vocabulary of signification,

incorporating terms such as path, enclosure, districts, intersections, points of

reference...

Today there are more and more contradictions between signification and

phenomena. In turn, there is conflict between the functionalist and semantic

content of things where areas like Rome encounter problems between the

functional necessities of modern life and that of history.

Each city possesses a form of rhythm- there is a break between signification

and reality Some neighborhoods look the same on maps which seem

realistic and objective, and yet when given the names of the areas, a person’s

perception is completely changed, where prejudice and subjectivity play in.

City is a discourse, a “language” which speaks to its inhabitants, who in turn

speak to it. Language of the city is sensitive to a series of metaphors and

expressions.

How do we shift from metaphor to analysis when speaking of the city?

T h i s a r t i c l e “ S e m i o l o g y a n d U r b a n i s m ” w a s w r i t -t e n b y R o l a n d B a r t h e s . B a r t h e s w a s a F r e n c h c r i t i c a n d w r i t e r, a n d t h i s a r t i c l e s u r r o u n d i n g t h e v a l u e o f l a n g u a g e a n d s e m i o l o g y i s p a r t o f h i s l a t e r p o s t - s t r u c t u r a l i s m p e r i o d .

50

SENSORY DESIGN

Sensory elements matter tremendously in the design of public space.

Triggering one’s senses when entering a space is sensitive and particular to

each individual.

Peter Zumthor’s Kolumba Museum, is a unique experience where transitions

with the control of light, the perforated facade allows controlled light and

sound to come in. One is confronted with an interior space that at the same

time is consumed with exterior elements.

Such respect for the surrounding should be incorporated in my design of these

public spaces. Playing with creating opposite and contradictory experiences.

For example creating a space of silence next to Hamra street, one that is

consumed with car honks and scramming people.

figure 30: sketch of the kolumba museum, room which incorporates exterior in the interior. church ruins rest below the wooden zigzagging bridge

51

KOLUMBA MUSEUM AND SENSORY DESIGN

P e t e r Z u m t h o r ’s K o l u m b a M u s e u m w a s b u i l t i n C o l o g n e , G e r m a n y a f t e r t h e d e s t r u c t i o n s t h e c i t y f a c e d d u r i n g W W I I .

T h e m u s e u m h o u s e s t h e o l d r u i n s f r o m t h e d e -s t r o y e d C a t h o l i c c h u r c h a t t h e t i m e .

T h e p r o j e c t e m e r g e d f r o m “ I n s i d e o u t a n d f r o m t h e p l a c e ” a s s a i d b y Z u m t h o r.

figure 31: exterior perforated facade of the building

figure 32: on the second level, the space changes identity, light becomes the main element of the space. the large windows frame view points within the city.

52

CARS AND PRIVACY IN LEBANON

Lebanon is a country where a person’s privacy is almost not considered.

Everyone is always concerned with what other people think, and privacy is

always overlooked as unnecessary.

In effect, cars have a very valuable symbolic definition. Each individual owns

at least one vehicle. The overwhelming amount of cars has served each person

not only as a way to get around, but is also used as a space for privacy. One

where someone can just exist alone.

It is not uncommon to see each people sitting alone in their vehicle. It is

the one place that is inaccessible from others, where individual thought and

reflections can overtake.

Are intimate spaces and spaces of solitude necessary?

figure 33: overwhelming number of taxis in beirut

53

PROVOKING DESIGNS

The Berlin Biennial 7 (summer 2012) took on a political agenda.

Provoking works from artists throughout the world were purposely

speaking to one another and creating works that spoke of their

identity.

One particularly piece stood out, one to speak for the state of

Palestine.

Khalil Jaarar created the work “The State of Palestine.” He

encouraged people to take action and stamp their passports in

recognition of the existence of a ‘non-existing state.’

figure 34: “the state of palestine” by khalil jaarar

54

LEBANON, CONFLICT AND CHAOS

Most of the art and installations I create have always taken on social concepts

and make an imposing statement on issues I find interest in.

During May 2007, Lebanon was faced with chaos and conflict. A ‘so-called’

mini civil war erupted, and people began to fight and demonstrate against

each other. The various political implications and arousal of conflict that grew

cannot be justified simply, where the culmination of events broke out.

Collecting artifacts and recreating visions I saw on the news and around led me

to create a multi-media piece. Burning tires, sand bags to block streets, and

newspaper clippings...

This piece shows somewhat of a negative vision, is that really what I should be

concerned with? What about the network of those spaces?

figures 35-36: coup d’etat by karine sarkissian (detail on the left)

55

E m p t y L o t s : C o l l e c t i v e A c t i o n o f E x p e r i m e n t a l U r b a n O c c u p a t i o n i s a n a r t i c l e w r i t t e n b y L o u i s e M a r i e C a r d o s o G a n z .

T h e a r t i c l e i s p u b l i s h e d i n U r b a n Tr a n s f o r m a t i o n , e d i t e c b y I l k a a n d A d r e a s R u b y.

EMPTY LOTS: TRANSFORMING SPACE IN BRAZIL

Empty Lots: Collective Action of Experimental Urban Occupation. This design

project was implemented in Belo Horizonte in 2005, where empty lots were

explored and chosen by artists and architects to be transformed. These lots in

Brazil are actually privately owned and have been transformed into parking lots

for profit. The concept of these interventions is to temporarily chance these

private spaces to public ones to re-brand and re-indentify the areas. Notions of

property, environment, community, ethics and aesthetics are all incorporated.

Each area have their own special characteristics which are almost always

hidden between wall.

“By incorporating these empty lots into daily lives of the population living in

proximity, the city is inevitably redesigned.”

These new implications can change the perception of the neighborhood--

behavior change through gardens, meeting spaces, experiments through micro-

urban scale.

Creating elements such as a :Collective living room”, areas for rest, reading,

observing the stars, concerts... This sensation of freedom incorporates new

systems for the contemporary city.

figures 37-38-39: empty lot projects

left to right: typographies, movie exhibition, 100 m2 of grass

56

MOMENTS OF PAUSE

In designing the Hayy spaces, certain elements are to be remembered.

‘Moments of pause’ remains as the key driving force, for the anti-space, the

heterotopias, to come to a clean, green, and other space for relief. Playing with

sensory elements as a response to each design, as well as certain terms to take

from such as ‘dig’, ‘build’, ‘mark’ ‘elaborate/elevate’, ‘inscribe’, ‘subtract...’

The idea of the underground as a ‘freeing’ action can also be incorporated.

In conjunction, what about programming systems? Incorporating a system of

which to respond to for design. Additionally, the project could take form of a

‘kid of part’ one that embraces the reality of spaces, new ground, and multi-

level...

figures 41: melbourne laneways, a perfect example of an implemented system

57

“ U r b a n i n t e r v e n t i o n s o f a s o r t – q u i c k , o f t e n t e m -p o r a r y, c h e a p p r o j e c t s t h a t a i m t o m a k e a s m a l l p a r t o f a c i t y m o r e l i v e l y o r e n j o y a b l e . T h e s e t y p e s o f p r o j e c t s h a v e g r o w n i n p o p u l a r i t y i n r e c e n t y e a r s , a n d t h e y e v e n h a v e a n e w n a m e : t a c t i c a l u r b a n i s m , a s i n t a c t i c s u s e d t o i m p r o v e t h e u r b a n e n v i r o n m e n t . T h e s e t a c t i c s t e n d t o b e r e p l i c a b l e a c r o s s c i t i e s , a n d i n c e r t a i n i n s t a n c e s h a v e b e c o m e w o r l d w i d e p h e n o m e n a . ”

TACTICAL URBANISM

Rather abrupt unplanned and DIY interventions in cities sometimes work well

as they do not necessarily oppose laws but rather work around to get points

transmitted.

h t t p : / / b e t t e r b l o c k s p h i l l y. o r g / 2 0 1 2 / 0 4 / 2 9 / t a c t i c a l - u r b a n i s m - s a l o n - p h i l l y /h t t p : / / w w w. t h e a t l a n t i c c i t i e s . c o m / n e i g h b o r h o o d s / 2 0 1 2 / 0 3 / g u i d e - t a c t i c a l - u r b a n i s m / 1 3 8 7 /

figures 42, 43 tactical urbanism in cities

58

POETICS OF MY EXPLORATIONWHY AND FOR WHOM?

I remember the day. How I remember walking along Hamra street, my mother

holding my hand and my older sister following a couple of steps behind

too busy day dreaming. Wonderful distractions seemed to occupy my mind,

distractions from the streets and my imagination created a world of its own, a

Beirut so alive and vibrant. Everyone around me had a story, the shoeshine, the

lines on his face personified his long life full of acquaintances, adventures, and

stories; the ka’ak salesman, wheeling his cart around the streets allowing the

wonderful smells of his fresh bread to overwhelm our senses… So many people

would come off the tram to spend the afternoon shopping at Red-shoe, and

stop for coffee at Modca Cafe. These distinct memories, smells, and sounds

have left imprints in my mind that I will never forget.

Walking around was always how our afternoons took off, we would go see

my aunt and cousins and play around while our parents gossiped about the

neighborhood over coffee and an arguile. My cousin Leila and I would always

go downstairs in the Hayy, it was were the life of the neighborhood really took

place. A courtyard space came about, created by the buildings that surrounded

it. It served as a playing ground where we would run around, tell each other

our stories, and get to meet our neighbors. Our parents felt safe with us being

there, they could keep an eye on us, and eventually would join us shortly after.

People of all ages, from all around would come together. There was always

something so unique, and we had even made the area homier with plants and

outdoor furniture for everyone to enjoy. Harmony and togetherness, two words

that I long for quickly disappeared with the arrival of an almost endless war.

59

WHY AND FOR WHOM?

Today, these spaces, victims of a fifteen-year war, have lost their purpose and

disappeared. They are neglected as though inexistent. Why have we destroyed

all areas we lived in? Our outdoors and public spaces are no more, and we are

lost with everything that has happened. Amnesia has taken over. What worries

me most however is that my children, their friends, and the youth of today have

never experienced our urban playground, our Beirut. I long for this legacy to be

passed on. How can we tell our stories and our memories? How can the youth

of today understand and see what is no longer there? How can they create their

own?

figures 44: narrative collage

60

MY INTERPRETATION

Beirut’s urban life has disappeared.

This presents a challenge for me. I want to understand and visualize the stories

that I have been told, the pre-war amnesia of Beirut. I almost feel as though

it is my duty through my curiosity to recreate a journey for my generation to

see the Lebanon that once was. These urban spaces exist all through Beirut,

and particularly through Ras Beirut, they are still physically there, and yet they

have been forgotten and taken over by cars. why not revive them?

In effect, the revival will take a different form than what it was. A system will

be created: experienced as a journey that one can venture throughout the Hayy

network. A subtle intervention: abstract, and simple. Allowing us to embrace

public space as a moment of pause to stop in the city. It needs to exist for the

individual on a small scale, the community on a neighborhood scale, and the

society on a city scale.

I will record a 30 day journal in the form of boxes, spending an hour in

a different Hayy space daily, and let these 30 boxes be the basis of next

semester’s investigation.

61

PURPOSE AND AUDIENCE

Educating the younger generation, my generation of today of what a pre-war

Lebanon was like. One that has filled all the memories and images in our

parents and grandparents’ minds. It is something that is unreachable as the

times have transformed and changed so much. With the notion of what was

once, I will try and touch to certain aspects of the past while being most aware

of the contemporary, the reality of today. The walking tour, network, and larger

connection helps relate this piece back to personal level on multiple scales.

figures 45: narrative collage

63

ON-SITE OBSERVATIONS

64

RAS BEIRUT

In starting my exploration of a certain area, I had to choose one where the

potential of such design interventions would be tested to its fullest. Essentially,

I wanted it to be an area which was prone to a more open mind, one that was

secular, and had a variety of age groups. Ras Beirut is an important region in

Beirut. It houses the American University of Beirut (AUB), along with many

other international and local schools. The inhabitants and wonderers of the

area have usually lived there for a long time or are rather young students

settling into this bustling neighborhood. Various layers of important elements

define the area, politically, socially, economically, and most importantly

historically. It contains one of the most popular streets of the city, Hamra

street, one with lots of shopping and old cinemas and theatres. It has since

(pre-war) kept that legacy, as the main theatres are relics and beacons of the

past.

This older neighborhood’s urban scape, fortunately, contains many different

in-between spaces, through transitory alleyways, courtyards, and open crevices

between buildings. The streetscape is generally loud and busy. Creating

moments of pause will essentially be the necessary missing link to provide well

thought-out public spaces that are lacking so much.

figures 46: ras beirut streets

65

figures 47, 48, 49: ras beirut streets

66

RE-PURPOSED ALLEYWAYS

Some, but unfortunately, very few.

A few alleyways have been turned into pedestrian walkways for people. Through

approval from the municipality, restaurant owners have come together to turn a

car accesible alley into a comfortable walkable path for people. ‘Cafe-trottoirs’

and outdoor ‘souqs’ (markets) are set up a few days a week selling local

products from the city and the mountains.

Another similar alley has been turned into a pedestrian bar-scene for young and

old to enjoy music out on the streets.

The scarse presence of such spaces gives them a unique vibe in a city that has

lost its street life. In such a young neighborhood, the potential for such spaces

is so needed and can help the urban life extensively.

67

figures 50: bread republic cafe- pedestrian alley

figures 51: “the alleyway” bars and cafes in this pedestrial alley

68

Construction Site

P

Old Khalidy hospital

NapoleonHotel Mayflower

Hotel

MarbleTower Hotel

arguile man

shoeshine

La Cigale

Laundry

Bakerysmells

Old HouseSerof New building

Construction

PChurch and SchoolCourtyard

Church bellsCookingsmells

School

Sound of children

VegetablesellerBlue Note

Jazz Bar

Constructionsite

P

P

Bullet holes

Constructionsite

Graffiti

Manakeeshsmells

P

PBulletholes

Soldiers

SoldiersPosters onfacade

Old housewith shutters

Theology school

Closed privatecourtyard

Indian embassy

DemocraticRepublic ofMusic Abandoned

building

Kindergarten

Orange tree

Childrenscreems

Medical clinics

Constructionsite

Renewed quiet alley

Syrianembassy

Hotelembassy

Street cafes

Bulletholes

Old buildings

Bullet holes

Politicalparty

Carte d’OrHotel

Farah building

Mosaic wall

Graffiti

Alleywaywithbars

Cinema Hamra

Horse Shoe

Strand Center

Pedestrianalley

Old House(1926)

Manakeeshsmells

Oldbuilding

NewBuilding

Trashcans

Bread smells

Cookingsmells

Shoe shine

Faisal’s

BlueBuilding

Khouryhospital

New building

New building

AgialGallery

Ovensmells

Oldcafe

Constructionsite

Construction

red-tilesidewalk

Golden Tulip Hotel

Monte CarloCInema

Modka Cafe

Cafe de ParisPicadillyCinema

Graffiti

Vegetable seller

P

HSBC

Old House

Red door

Honking

Trash Cans

ShoeShine

Traffic

P

Graffiti

Old houseVegetableseller

Citrustrees

Graffiti

Trash cans

p

Constructionsite

quiet alley

OBSERVATIONS IN BEIRUT

Walking around the streets I recorded

observations, things that stuck out, as well as

the noting of certain interactions that really

struck out to me.

I began with a zoning map, categorizing

residential (blue), commercial (red), arts

and entertainment (yellow), health (orange),

schools (turquoise) and universities (blue

striped), hotels (green) and offices (purple).

I also began to record the scarce vegetation

that was around.

I also recorded interactions that I have with

people on the streets. Artisans, sellers, and

street vendors carry a part of the unique

culture in their presence as the have been

there for quite some time.

Lastly, I realized that my senses were most

accentuated when I was walking around. I

couldn’t avoid the smells, sounds, viewpoints

I stumbled on and felt the need to record

them.

69

Construction Site

P

Old Khalidy hospital

NapoleonHotel Mayflower

Hotel

MarbleTower Hotel

arguile man

shoeshine

La Cigale

Laundry

Bakerysmells

Old HouseSerof New building

Construction

PChurch and SchoolCourtyard

Church bellsCookingsmells

School

Sound of children

VegetablesellerBlue Note

Jazz Bar

Constructionsite

P

P

Bullet holes

Constructionsite

Graffiti

Manakeeshsmells

P

PBulletholes

Soldiers

SoldiersPosters onfacade

Old housewith shutters

Theology school

Closed privatecourtyard

Indian embassy

DemocraticRepublic ofMusic Abandoned

building

Kindergarten

Orange tree

Childrenscreems

Medical clinics

Constructionsite

Renewed quiet alley

Syrianembassy

Hotelembassy

Street cafes

Bulletholes

Old buildings

Bullet holes

Politicalparty

Carte d’OrHotel

Farah building

Mosaic wall

Graffiti

Alleywaywithbars

Cinema Hamra

Horse Shoe

Strand Center

Pedestrianalley

Old House(1926)

Manakeeshsmells

Oldbuilding

NewBuilding

Trashcans

Bread smells

Cookingsmells

Shoe shine

Faisal’s

BlueBuilding

Khouryhospital

New building

New building

AgialGallery

Ovensmells

Oldcafe

Constructionsite

Construction

red-tilesidewalk

Golden Tulip Hotel

Monte CarloCInema

Modka Cafe

Cafe de ParisPicadillyCinema

Graffiti

Vegetable seller

P

HSBC

Old House

Red door

Honking

Trash Cans

ShoeShine

Traffic

P

Graffiti

Old houseVegetableseller

Citrustrees

Graffiti

Trash cans

p

Constructionsite

quiet alley

71

DESIGN OUTCOME

72

OVERALL DESIGN APPROACH

Urbanism and city structures reveal the essence of people; it dissects their

culture, history, and way of life. In effect, the traces and details left in

forgotten spaces are the purest elements in the exploration and discovery of

cities.

Beirut is a city inherent with layers of meaning. A fifteen-year Civil War has

lead to a life focused indoors rather than one out in the streets. As a response,

in-between public spaces have been often entirely neglected and discarded

as wasted terrain vague. The investigation of my own city manifested itself in

multiple perceptions re-scripting while understanding the overarching stages

of its history. The in-betweens were re-designed with local characteristics,

responsive to sensory elements surrounding each area, and catered solely for

the people, in creating pedestrian experiences for the urban dweller.

Beirut stages all types of contradictions, eccentricities, and passions which I

am hoping to unfold through my discoveries and touch on in my designs.

73

JUHANI PALLASMAA SENSORY DESIGN THEORY

Juhani Pallasmaa presents a new way of looking at architecture, one that

is poetic, imaginative, and responsive to sensory and phenomenological

experiences. His writing has become greatly influential in various

educational institutions as it presents a new way of looking at space and

“life changing architecture that addresses all “senses” simultaneously.”

Ironically, Pallasmaa does not necessarily regard himself as an architect,

but rather uses architecture as his tool for looking at the world. This allows

him to automatically have a different approach. His understanding of the

art goes back to his experiences as a student interacting with renowned

Finnish architects, such as Alvar Aalto. He expresses their “existential and

philosophical orientation in relation to their work rather than a formally

professional one”. Consequently, these interactions lead to forming his unique

point of view, removing the distinction of architecture as a career. An architect

is a supporter of the mythical dimensions of life, rather than a professionalist.

He implements the need to step back and consider the space and

the realm to a deeper extent. His criticism and his suggestions revolve around

architecture of the seven senses, and the thorough consideration of materials.

He elaborates, “every touching experience of architecture is multi-sensory;

qualities of matter, space, and scale are measured equally by the eye, ear,

nose, skin, tongue, skeleton, and muscle. Architecture thus involves the seven

realms of sensory experience which interact and infuse each other.” He further

encourages a connection between the role of the body and its relation to the

space as the locus of perception. The ultimate meaning extends past simple

architecture and directs our consciousness back to the world towards our own

sense of self. The modernist took on the sense of vision, architecture of the

eye, quite extensively. Their approach considered one important sense, and yet

it remains radically different and restrictive than the one the Finish architect

presents. Matter exists in the continuum of time as the industrial, machine-

made, and unyielding elements surface to the eye without conveying the

material essence of age.

F i n i s h a r c h i t e c t , J u h a n i P a l l a s m a a w a s t r a i n e d a t A a l t o U n i v e r s i t y i n F i n l a n d , a n d i s a l s o c h a r a c t e r i z e d a s c r i t i c a n d e d u c a t o r

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OVERALL DESIGN APPROACH

Looking at all elements in more details, Pallasmaa’s writing explains that it

is unthinkable that a mind could conceive architecture because the role of

the body is its basis or rather its constitution. Architecture is meant to be

an experience. Acoustic intimacy is another element the architect regards

thoroughly. The power of sound to imagination conceives the mind, creating

a sense of connection and solidarity with others experiencing the space. It

allows for an affinity with the space. Lack of sound, in other words, silence,

also carries a deep importance. The most essential auditory experience created

by architecture is tranquility, silencing all external noise allows one to focus

on their very own existence: fundamental solitude. Scent becomes rooted in

memory as one of the most important elements in remembering a space; it

enhances forgotten images and carries the individual in daydream. This draws

a deeper connection between memory and imagination. Lastly, the sense of

touch draws a strong criticism with the materiality of the modernists. Touch

is the sense of nearness, intimacy, and affection. Well-considered materials

not only evoke elements of texture, weight, density, and temperature, but also

carry connotations and a history. Unfortunately, the extensive use of glass,

iron, and concrete refers to mainstream, and cold unsentimental associations.

Pallasmaa suggests the use of rooted materials such as wood and brick, and

the appreciation of metaphor of time. “The language of beauty is essentially

the language of timeless reality.” Along with all these sensory considerations,

the elements of light and temperature connect them all in creating a sense of

atmosphere. It is through the values and perception that one can truly be taken

through the world of reality and imagination.

In conclusion, Pallasmaa’s view of architecture is one that allows the individual

to realize their presence in a space. It is the essence of the now to appreciate

and understand how one relates to space. Sensitive and subtle triggers evoke

a sense of recognition, solidarity, solitude, memory, and imagination. He

roots architecture back to the self and the mind viewing it as life rather than

a profession. Essentially, the architecture spoken about by Pallasmaa is not

necessarily aesthetically polished, but rather is one that “poses a deep and

disturbing emotive power and opens up questions rather than provides well-

formulated answers.” Architecture exists to assist us to know and remember

our identity. It evokes the sense of home.

75

figures 52, 53: sensory recordings - model made with clear acrylic

SENSORY MODEL

smells

sounds

viewpoints

interactions

Sensory recordings I captured walking around the streets. I

compiled them in a model to work from to influence the design

of each one of my spaces.

76

The interactions with the people I met on the streets

really stood out to me. The Hayy spaces were rarely

occupied, sometimes by the people who live around

the area, otherwise, the dwellers and vendors were

mostly on the main streets.

The vendors are the ones who sustain us- they are

part of our daily routines and they all have a story and

have been around their particular street corner for

some time. In a way, their legacy and their presence

has a fundamental presence in the streets of Beirut.

They represent the culture that is worth sustaining

and keeping alive.

My Hayy interventions will encourage the connections

between the regular urban dweller and the street

vendors and artisans.

figures 54: women in a hayy

figures 55: the shoeshine walks home with his kit

figures 56: painted wall with local tiling patterns

77

figures 57, 58: vegetable sellers with moveable carts

78

figures 59: manakeesh (local flatbread) maker figures 60: kaak’ sellers in open air souq

figures 61: local coffee maker with his clientele in daily discussion

79

figures 62: kaak’ seller with his moveable cart

figures 63: using chairs and seating to claim street space

81

figures 64: chairs placed on the sidewalk claiming space

83

figures 65: inspiration collage (including tiles old historic tiles from lebanon)

84

0 15 30 60 90 120 meters

N

SITE PLAN BEIRUT, LEBANON

21

3 45

67

8

10 912

11

141315

16

1718

19

Site plan with 19 designated Hayy spaces.

The spaces have potential to interact together in a network. Some are transitional alleys, others rather enclosed courtyard spaces.

85

figures 66, 67: site plan topography model (clear acrylic, wood, insulation foam)

87

HAYY DESIGNS

88

HAYY #3

89

HAYY #3

90

figures 68, 69: hayy #3 section model

91

Walking on makhoul street, colorful tiles appear slightly on an inner wall and the concrete street. Spatial curiosity is aroused that

lead the viewer in, as he begins to read a musicality and syncopation to the way in which the tiles have been assembled. This is the

moment that leads us through the space, gripping us at the entrance and gently propelling us deeper into the alleyway.

As one walks further in, sounds of the city begin to fade, and colors emerge more and more. Suddenly, a resting point with two

plastic chairs; moveable, and yet a suggestions of their positioning is made with the tiles. Opposite, there is a narrow alleyway. It

receives us one at a time, with smell of fresh trees, secluded into sudden silence as the wooden walls and vines absorb sound with

yet a distant sense of music. Down the stairs, is a recessed space: one that is alive and in which movement is prominent through

the essence of local music and the chatter of people.

figures 70, 71: hayy #3 section model (close-ups)

92 HAYY #7

figures 72: hayy #7 section model

93

Coming from loud and noisy Abdel Aziz street, we are reduced to the static essentials. This space is exactly what we see and touch,

exactly what we feel beneath our feet: a stony body. The sensuous presence of the materials defines the space. The acoustic quality

of the stone creates a slight echo mimicked by the narrow strip of water. The spatial constellation of the slabs varies the orientation

of the light, generating shadows and reflections. It tempers the mood of the light and gives depth to the room creating a moment of

pause, and an escape for the dweller.

figures 73, 74: hayy #7 section model (close-ups)

94

HAYY #5

95

figures 75, 76: hayy #5 section model

96

DIAGRAMMATIC MODEL

Attempting a diagrammatic model helped in seeing what kinds of elements I

wanted to bring into the design. I realized the effect of having patterned tiles

weaved in many of the spaces. It helped create a path to follow.

Additionally, elements such as the various white plastic chairs I kept seeing

around the city were elements I felt implied a lot of comfort and encouraged

the dweller to take a pause without feeling attached to the space (with the light

moveability of each object).

figures 77: hayy diagrammatic model

97

figures 78, 79: hayy diagrammatic model

99

THESIS STATEMENT

Hayy, in-between spaces designed with local charac-

teristics, responsive to sensory recordings surround-

ing each area and catered for the people in creating

pedestrian experiences for the urban dweller.

101

Barthes, Roland. “Semiology and Urbanism.” The Semiotic Challenge. Berkeley: University of California, 1994. N. pag. Print.

Candy Chang. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2012. <http://candychang.com/>.

Cotter, Suzanne. Out of Beirut. Oxford: Modern Art Oxford, 2006. Print.

Foucault, Michel. “Michel Foucault. Of Other Spaces (1967), Hetero-topias.” Foucault.info. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://www.foucault.info/documents/heteroTopia/foucault.heteroTopia.en.html>.

Karam, Michael. Life’s Like That. N.p.: Turning Point Ski Foundation, 2004. Print.

Ruby, Ilka, and Andreas Ruby. “Empty Lots: Collective Action of Ex-perimental Urban Occupation.” Urban Transformation. Berlin: Ruby, 2008. 164-69. Print.

Sturken, Marita. “The Wall, the Screen, and the Image: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial.” Representations, No. 35, Special Issue: Monu-mental Histories. Summer 1991: 118-42. Print.

Toffel, Ludovic. “Urban Development of Beirut.” ETS Basel, Contem-porary City Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://www.studio-basel.com/projects/beirut/damascus/atlas/city-map-beirut-and-damascus.html>.

WORKS CITED / REFERENCES

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