Project: O BUILDINGS

Architect: PAUL KALOUSTIAN ARCHITECT

Location: HAZMIEH – BEIRUT

Lot Area: 8000 m2

Design Phase: CONCEPT DESIGN

Design: 2014

The project consists of a series of office buildings located in Hazmieh, Lebanon. We reconfigured the given 9 lots into 6 parcels of several sizes to accommodate 6  volumes of slightly curved facades that makes the building size unrecognizable.

Furthermore, these shapes are creating interesting exterior spaces between them. Each building is independent with a unique shape, yet the 6 volumes  serve a unified entity.

The site is located along a secondary street. Our aim is to keep the street identity with autonomous buildings forming a necklace along this spine.

The harmony of the whole is accentuated by the buildings unified heights, setbacks and facades.

All buildings are glazed on 4 sides and wrapped with an expanded aluminum mesh. The structure and inside activity are displayed along the quiet and almost private street.

The transparent quality of the buildings is expressed clearly, the additional layer of mesh gives a more sophisticated identity to the buildings with a filtered light during the day and buildings glowing at night and lighting up the street.

The screen mesh gives an immaterial and non-consistent appearance to the volumes changing from misty to sharp, from transparent to opaque.