The project is an Islamic Cultural Center located on the ground floor of a mosque on Foch Street in the Beirut Central District. It is designed to house temporary exhibitions, and includes an extensive specialized bookshop, a library, and a conference room. A central sculptural object defines the space: it aligns the columns in the center and hides them within its thickness. Around and inside it, are organized all the activities and functions of the cultural center. The space is fluid; functions could extend into one another: the library, for instance, extends visually (when needed) into the conference facility; the exhibition space is not limited to a confined room, it is the whole space in between. The surface of the central object is articulated with books, both inside and outside (for the library and the bookshop respectively). Visiting the cultural center is a museum experience, through channeled passages rather than doors. The exhibition space is entirely tilted in one direction: a reminder of the kiblah direction. This layout of the walls also created a buffer zone protecting the internal object from the direct gaze of the passer-by or shopper. Another reference to Islam is in the treatment of facades. Photographs by Géraldine Bruneel.