SAINT GEORGE CHURCH / BEIRUT / LEBANON
Type: Renovation
Program: Church
Gross Built-up Area: 900 sqm. (9,700 sqft.)
Status: Under Construction
The St. Georges Church was built towards the end of the
19th century & suffered severe damage during the civil war.
Being part of an urban development at the edge of the reconstructed downtown Beirut- the Beirut Digital District (BDD), the renovation of such
monument acts as an iconographic center of an increasingly growing urban quarter, and fulfill a hope of bringing back its community. The approach
consists of preserving the remaining sandstone walls & the addition of a light, transparent roof structure; when lit at night, its glow signifies the rising.
The roof consists of a series of truncated pyramids symbolizing exploded shrapnel frozen over time, funneling the light down to the hall, resulting inabundant light rays & making the space both, spiritual and memorial. Parametrically controlled, the truncated pyramids elements are a
contemporary interpretation of traditional ornaments found in old churches.
While controlling the solar penetration level, they also act as acoustical
elements for the 50ft. High hall.
Being part of an urban development at the edge of the reconstructed downtown Beirut- the Beirut Digital District (BDD), the renovation of such monument acts as an iconographic center of an increasingly growing urban quarter, and fulfill a hope of bringing back its community. The approach consists of preserving the remaining sandstone walls & the addition of a light, transparent roof structure; when lit at night, its glow signifies the rising.
The roof consists of a series of truncated pyramids symbolizing exploded shrapnel frozen over time, funneling the light down to the hall, resulting inabundant light rays & making the space both, spiritual and memorial. Parametrically controlled, the truncated pyramids elements are a contemporary interpretation of traditional ornaments found in old churches.
While controlling the solar penetration level, they also act as acoustical elements for the 50ft. High hall.
