The Golden Age of Lebanon. Fouad Chehab: Politics and Architecture

Modern Architecture from Lebanon, 2024

the image representing the influence of Latin American and East European modern architecture on Lebanese architecture during times of economic inflation. The collage includes elements like Brutalist structures, expressive shapes, functionalist design, and cultural adaptations with traditional Lebanese motifs.

Enquiry: A Journal for Architectural Research, 2007

In a short article presented at a conference in New York City two years ago, Joan Ockman lucidly diagnosed the contemporary dilemma faced by architecture, i.e. how to insert itself between a pessimistic discourse that warns of the end of time, and an uncritical surrender to globalization. This dilemma is now universal(i). It applies to New York City, where in the same context Kenneth Frampton commented on the dystopia of an “oddly paranoid, rather ruthless, instrumental and resentful landscape”(ii), as well as to other cities around the world, especially in the Third World, where more difficult conditions permeate architectural practice, resulting in even more devastated landscapes. This article will discuss issues that relate to architectural practice and pedagogy, drawing on specific examples in the context of Beirut, Lebanon, and reflecting on the impact of‘architectural education’ and the transformations within the architectural profession in this context. One can no longer deny...

Malmö University, 2019

This thesis will provide an analysis of the current Parliament building in Beirut, which is called Majlis an-Nuwwab, and was built by the French colonial state that ruled over Lebanon. It will examine to what extent it has theoretically contributed to the mediation of the French colonial power over Lebanon, through the analytical framework provided by Njoh and Bigon, along with a theoretical framework offered by Kim Dovey. The data was obtained first-hand during a ten-day visit to the city of Beirut, employing primary observation and is in the form of personally obtained photographs of the object of analysis, namely Lebanon’s Parliament building. Further, this research has been conducted due to the lack of academic discussion and literature regarding the relationship between colonial power structures and colonial architecture in the Middle East. In accordance to the analytical and theoretical framework, this study demonstrates that Lebanon’s Parliament building, along with its urban context, can theoretically be understood as operating as the mediator for military, cultural and socio-psychological power as the most prominent ones. Additionally, traits of economic and politico-administrative power were also found to be theoretically mediated through the designs of the Parliament building, although not to the same extent as the previously mentioned powers.

2023

In 2021, Walid Joumblatt asked Zaher Ghossaini, his restoration architect, to write a book on the religious buildings of Moukhtara, Joumblatt's native village. Ghossaini asked me to partake in the writing of this book. Of these buildings, the oldest are: 1) The majlis of the Hosn al Din family dating to the end of the 15 th century, 2) The church of the Catholic Greeks dating to the 18 th century, 3) The majlis of sheikh Beshir Joumblatt dating to 1808. 4) The church of the Maronites dating to 1820, During research, it was necessary to establish the history of the elements of architecture as there are no reliable modern works on this subject. After K. A. C. Creswell, most works became specialized in the detailed description of buildings and no one has done a precise history of the elements of architecture, especially of Lebanon during the Mamluk and Ottoman periods. In this lies the originality of the work I am presenting here. However, I must warn that the work presented here is yet unfinished. Ghossaini was annoyed with the conclusions of this research as it contradicted his own preconceptions. Ghossaini has no historical and archaeological credentials and the historical and archaeological substance in the book "Shouf Built Heritage Conservation Project", printed in 2015, is based on my researches. Yet, he wanted to hinder and interfere with the course of research, which forced me to interrupt my work.

Orientalism and the Lebanese Architecture, 2019

This paper critically examines the role of architecture in shaping Lebanese national identity and its influence on society. Through an analysis of Lebanese house typologies and their structural evolution, the study explores how architectural forms impact social, cultural, economic, and security aspects. The research draws on existing literature to argue that successive cultural incursions into Lebanon have led to the erosion of traditional architectural elements, replacing them with Western influences. This transformation is framed within Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism, emphasizing the power dynamics that dictate architectural and cultural change.

Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 2018

Conserving the architectural structures of heritage buildings has become an important issue in Beirut. It is the result of necessary retrofit of existing traditional bourgeoisie architecture of 19th century, belonging to the late Ottoman period, recognizing the importance of its traditional technics and to keep them in use. Although, they have been subjected to lack of maintenance and repair which led to processes of severe degradation, compromising their use, it allows now a deep observation of their characteristics. The main goal of this article is: to outline the evolution of the construction of this late Ottoman Heritage; characterize its architectural typology; understand the impact of Building Codes; and present results of surveys. For the analysis, non-destructive methods were performed. The survey of three case studies according to a pre-selection of representative Ottoman buildings (1840-1940) is presented. This intends to contribute for the conservation of Beirut traditional housing and give useful technical information.

Journal of Design History, 2007

This paper will present the results of my investigation into a relatively unknown period in the architectural and urban history of Lebanon, namely the influence of Tuscan builders on the development of an architectural style in the Mount Lebanon, which started in the Seventeenth century during the reign of the Emir Fakhreddine Maa’n. At the beginning of the Seventeenth century, the Emirate of Mount Lebanon saw its first consolidation into a viable political entity under the strong leadership of Fakhreddine, who was able in the space of three decades, not only to build the first independent entity in the region with a large degree of autonomy from the Ottoman Empire, but also to launch a series of public and private works that gave the region its architectural character for the centuries to come, starting with the urban developments in Deir-el-Kamar, Sidon and Beirut. To what factors can we attribute this Tuscan influence on Lebanese architecture, and what were the ideas, namely the theoretical intentions of these authors who interpreted the Lebanese landscape in a unique fashion that proceeded to develop a new philosophy of the landscape which left its impactuntil the modern period. This paper will present the results of my study of this period, which is part of a continuing investigation into the development of architecture in this area and the implications of these architectural and urban developments on the political sphere, namely, the definition of a specific political entity in Mount Lebanon.

BAHCESEHIR UNIVERSITY, 2017

Architecture Criticism in Syria: Architectural Syrian Identity Criticism Before and After the Crisis. The paper discussed the criticism literature in Syrian architecture which focused on a set of points that sought to form a special architectural identity, which was as follow: • Following the architectural heritage, which gave local architecture rich properties imposed on the urban space and focus on the aesthetic points. • Develop some design determinants to fit the environment and climate within a common scale, relying on technology within a local framework. • Rational use of available local resources to produce local economic architecture. • Diversify the theoretical and practical training of local architects by defining the vocabulary of this architecture and helping them to apply the rules, symbols, and patterns that have been borrowed from previous models. The responsibility of the contemporary architects in Syria necessitates him to live the past, present, and future in his designs, innovations, and creativity because the past is still among us with his architectural heritage radiating civilization and culture and imposing itself in the vacuum. Venturi emphasizes the importance of the interdependence and correspondence between different and divergent intellectual doctrines and the importance of its reflection on architecture. "Good architecture will bring several levels of meaning and multiple foci of visual focus as it can read its space and its elements in various ways at the same time," Robert Venturi,16

Planning Perspectives, 2012

The architect and planner Michel Ecochard has had a long career in developing countries, from its first works in Syria under the French rule, until the 1970s. He represented the modernist and functionalist approach to planning in a time of modernization. In this article, we concentrate on his work in Lebanon and Syria between the end of the 1950s and the 1960s. He prepared the master plans of Beirut and of Damascus. Those works represented the end of an era rooted in colonial planning. It was also the beginning of a new time, with the local planners taking on, sometimes sharing, sometimes contesting Ecochard's visions. Building on recent scholarship on the circulation of planning ideas, we focus on the reception of Ecochard's proposals. Though most political elites and planning professionals shared most of Ecochard's views, the political circumstances and the changing social conditions led to adjustments and reorientations. The new planning framework was also a major factor of change.