Ninth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

“Human constructions have a duty to preserve the past and give us the possibility of experiencing and glimpsing the continuum of culture and tradition.” (Pallasmaa, 2010) Beirut as a city with diverse culture, traditions, religions and customs that has faced several occupation periods and wars. These events with the mixture of conditions have affected the architectural and urban forms throughout the years. This research study raises the problem of the lack in the dialog between the past and the present affecting the shape of the city identity, within the reconstructed zone of the Beirut Central District after the end of the civil war in 1990. This study identifies a checklist for the tangible values of the Architectural Identity to be used as a model for the evaluation of buildings, aiming to prove that a dialogical approach between the ancient identity of a city and its historical values with the new trends controlled by building regulations will produce a better contemporary city identity. Case studies are selected following their locations covering most building typologies in the Beirut Central District. The examination correlates a relation between the architectural features of the buildings and the legislative rules of each plot through an analytical comparative review. It generates a list of recommendations, for architects targeting a better reproduction of identity within the city of Beirut. Moreover it highlights some architectural factors that should be more controlled in the detailed design and planning system of the Beirut Central District.