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From Shattered Pieces

Beirut's Opera House

The absence of opera houses and the need for cultural and entertainment facilities in Lebanon, and especially in Beirut had been highlighted in recent years due to the numerous conflicts that Lebanon had been through. “Le Grand Theatre: Des Milles et Une Nuit”, witnessed the various phases of modern Beirut, and was excessively damaged throughout the years, depriving with that, Beirut from one of the most important amenities. Besides the advantages of reviving such cultural treasure on the Lebanese society, it will also affect positively the tourism sector which also is facing hard days. Located in downtown Beirut, to help the process of attracting and targeting a wider audience as Beirut is one of the most densely populated cities in Lebanon which will enjoy attending Ballet performances, fairs, musical events, acts and much more cultural events from the Opera House’s program. The name Shattered Pieces is to emphasize the history of the site which will also be the starting point of the creation of the project, considering it as the inspiration behind the design approach. Looking back at this debris history in order to create a design that will meet both phases of its life; the tragic distortion and the revival.

From Shattered Pieces: Text

Through the project, I want to show the history of the building and emphasise its need for life, reflecting the resilience of Lebanon, Beirut and its people. As Lebanese citizens compare Beirut to the phoenix bird, who’s known to symbolize immortality, resurrection and life after death, I thought that my design process can start from these points. Moreover, in ancient mythologies the phoenix bird is associated with the sun god. Thus my main idea for the renovation will focus on healing the scars produced by the civil war and the various conflicts without disregarding them and on restoring the structures and reviving the entertaining and cultural side of the building. The Grand Theatre is also known as, “Des Milles Et Une Nuit”, after the famous collection of Middle Eastern folk tales, where Scheherazade was telling the king a story each night without ending it in order to save her life. The Opera House will be performing a magical story every night in order to bring back Beirut and its cultural side to life.

From Shattered Pieces: Portfolio
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961-718-89134

Beirut, Lebanon

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