Elie Mahfouz

 Since the idea of this studio was working on an extreme environment I thought about the historical site in Jbeil that has been abandoned for centuries and is completely isolated from the current urban fabric. My first stroll was on the periphery that separates the old from the new city. It was noticeable that each area although different from the others was weaved in harmoniously with the whole. The zoning is based on axis, buffer zones and thresholds.

            I then zoomed in to the Old souk. From the mapping I could tell that even though the dominant programs are completely commercial (restaurants, bars, and shops) there is a place for a cultural axis that is able to reach the old ruins.

       Then moved on towards the Persian ruins where I started to notice the play of visibility between the ruins especially the Crusader castle and the city. The castle was in some cases in the foreground, background or disappearing. A valid entrance might also work as a new gateway towards the ruins formed by the commercial center in the new city.

      Inside the ruins I was struck by how certain areas like the Phoenician gate, the Glacis and the Persian ruins were completely neglected and undermined. Even though they are on such a close proximity to the city they are completely abandoned, disconnected, people have no access to it to perform any kind of social interaction. Thus the area is in the words of Aldo Rossi in a state of “pathological permanence”. The aim of my project is to create a conversation between the ruins and the new city whereas people will be able to access the ruins, perform their social duties, and discover the area as they walk through. The ruins will be integrated with the city, and will become part of the everyday life of the people. Hence my project will bring the area to a state of “propelling permanence”

      I then moved on to study the skyline of the city. Seen from different approaches the image of the city changes and new paths are unfolded. From that I was able to deduct the appropriate height that would enable the project to be seen from different angles without overshadowing the castle.

      My first intervention was on the periphery, I was experimenting how my project will work with the existing ruins and fabric. However I felt that it was a bit shy because it did not interact with the ruins themselves.

       I deduced a certain system based on the Phoenician gate model. I was able to classify it into 6 parts that worked differently from each other.

        The volumes in my final project were to be fitted inside the ruins their shapes and were based on present and historical lines. The project is to have administrative facilities such as a town hall and civil marriage center, entertainment facilities such as a cinema, amphitheater and a theater that work perfectly with the commercial souk nearby and finally cultural facilities that would house an NGO center, an Observatory, and a small museum