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The reconstruction of the Souks of Beirut

an international ideas competition

Team: "In antiquo novum"

arch. Ettore Maria Mazzola, Rocco Guerriero, Anna Maria Viglialoro

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT

The urban scheme of ancient Souks is the new proposal: this environment, familiar to the citizens, evokes historical memory and local characters, looking for the lost relation between man and architecture.

Artisan-manual will make the framework with local materials. New souks' life is made of meeting and relax places, while the architecture itself is cue for meditation. Night life is in the open air squares, and many things recall the Middle-East souk: covered crossings, arches connecting buildings ( BARBA-HANA ), vaults instead of the flat floors. No interruption between one shop and another helps the souks' trading function: even upper and lower levels are connected (bazaar). Without forgetting the whole BCD project, each commercial activity looks to the nearest buildings and the social composition.

Pedestrian accesses are the same of the old souks: Bab Idriss is rebuilt and enriched by a monumental fountain, souk Ayyass' door is the most important, well visible from the archeological site. Here are elevators arrivals from underground garage. People coming from Levantine town will pass through Bab Idriss and find sale by retail; in the north, hotels and restaurants serve the business centre. Eastern and western pedestrian accesses are mere " barba-hana", and the ancient roman axes intersect in " Peace Square", the " forum" : even the old wall can be read. Anyone who respects the historical memory will visit this square and its circular shaped "porticus" symbolizing the ideal perfection of a world without the war. The central olive tree is an international peace symbol, planted (and then brought there) just in the war's end year.

The widest souk is Al-Jamil, straight and paved as it was. During the night, full-hight gratings close the barba-hana for safety, but it's still possible to go into the garage from the squares.

The new souk is a justapposition of elementary parts: each wall in common to two shops is divided, to create the space for sanitary facilities and to intercept a cone of light. The natural, soffused light throughout the rooms reminds the suggestive bazaar .

As made of stone, the souks' framework also withstands fire. All the streets are pedestrian (no Trablous street), exceptionally vehicular, and provided with exists. Pavement "besolato", made of small basalt pieces, induces people to go from southern to northern souks, by covering pedestrian crossings of vehicular streets.

Khan Antoun Bey square (we dare to call it "Sun square" )

It's a summary of project patterns. From south to north, it's modelled as a simply-shaped wind rose: a gnomon lops at its centre and water basins, among the points, contain typical middle-eastern acquatic plants. The gnomon, made of coloured glass, water filled, casts a ray of light, and not a shadow over Beirut: the town is on the plane of this sundial, depicted much smaller, in its ancient figure. The ray of light symbolizes life: Time cannot wipe out what Beirut was in the past.

The sundial plane shows the gnomon light also during the night, coming from an headlamp, nothing casts a shadow over Beirut.

The ancient "forma urbis" inside the walls is a polychrom marble inlay, while the diagram lines of solar trajectories (cutting across the town plane) is Brass.

The wind rose is marble, too. Another basin of water (north), just like the old town\rquote s coast stretch, round edged, lets people lean out itself: anyone who comes from Avenue de Francais (upper level) can also go down to the square (lower level), from stairs or ramps.

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Last update: 09/04/99

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