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SOMA Architects

SOMA Architects

New York, NY

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Michel Abboud Design for W Residences
Michel Abboud Design for W Residences
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W Residences

A corner site location in Achrafieh's Mar Mitr quarter imbues this project with corner-site challenges. While SOMA is renowned for double skin projects, W wears its second skin out of necessity due to location and exposure: the longer site edge faces south and the shorter one faces west and demands that one extremely important and problematic issue be solve in terms of solar and heat. A unique identity was created through this second layer skin sunscreen. Extensive research revealed that a horizontal louvered system was efficient for sun screening. The regenerated parametric design reacts to an interior program whereby the depth of the louvers is variable according to which interior function it is shading and which interior function requires more or less privacy. The less privacy required, the thinner the louver, the less sun shading, the thinner the louver; the more privacy, the deeper the louver and more sun screening, the deeper the louver. The effect: organic waves. W not only contrasts starkly against the present buildings awaiting demolition and/or renovation, but also assertively against future, new structures yet to be constructed.

 
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Status: Under Construction
Location: Beirut, LB
Additional Credits: TEAM:

PRINCIPAL: MICHEL ABBOUD

PARTNER: LEO SGUERA

LEAD DESIGNERS: FADY STEFAN

KEY STAFF: WISSAM SALAMEH, YONG JU LEE, STEVEN TOWNSEND, KAMIL CZARNECKI, DEREK BINSTED, MATT POST, SANGHO PARK, ZIYUE WEI, CHARBEL NASR, GILBERT HADDAD, JAD FENERGI, NADER EL KHOURY, GRESSY EL KOSSAIFY, JAD EL KHOURY, ROLAND KASSIS, JOSEPH CHARTOUNI, MAGED BOU ZAKHM, PASCALE FAWAZ, THERESE MAKHLOUF, CARLA SAAD, NAY HAYDAMOUS, MARWAN SALIBA, ADEL DAGHER, ELISE SHEBAYA, MIRA NAJI

 
Michel Abboud Design for W Residences
Michel Abboud Design for W Residences
Michel Abboud Design for W Residences
Michel Abboud Design for W Residences
Michel Abboud Design for W Residences
Michel Abboud Design for W Residences
Michel Abboud Design for W Residences
Michel Abboud Design for W Residences
Michel Abboud Design for W Residences
Michel Abboud Design for W Residences
Michel Abboud Design for W Residences
Michel Abboud Design for W Residences