17/02/2017
LIKE THE PICTURE BELOW AND VOTE FOR OUR PROJECT âTHE BACKYARDâ TO BE AWARDED WITH THE "CROWD AWARD".
Project: Cluster H "The Backyard" - Hazmieh - Lebanon
Architects: Bernard Mallat architects & Walid Zeidan
Landscape Architect: Imad Gemayel
Popularly known as âThe Backyardâ, Cluster H is the brainchild of 2 developers (Rabih Saba and Marwan Ayoub of Venture Group) who specialize in hospitality and build F&B projects. Their vision is based on adapting the food-court model to an outdoor venue, taking advantage of the mild Mediterranean weather and indigenous vegetation.
Located in Hazmieh, a neighborhood in Beirut, Cluster H was conceived while learning from its national context, in particular, the nearby capital. Instead of trying to instigate a rigid order, the project embraces the dynamics of organized chaos and borrows from the configurations of seemingly random organic human settlements. Often, Beirut reads as chaotic; its untamable character the result of successive conflicts and intermittent, incoherent planning that prevent any form of continuity or longevity. Yet, the city feels like a singular chaos which is capable of assimilating any kind of subtraction or addition, random fostering random.
The projectâs plan attempts to materialize this paradox of âorganized chaosâ. The cluster of irregular polygons allows the building to adapt to the unusual lot form, with volumes and terraces interlocking to accommodate the rising topography. A cascade of ramps and steps make the 10-meter climb fluid, all the while augmenting visual interaction with the terraces, thus reinforcing the local culture of voyeurism. Connecting 3 ponds, the water channel guides visitors through the project to the sound of a flowing stream and cools the atmosphere while plants and trees complete the experience.
The buildingsâ concrete envelope is left in a ârawâ condition, its imperfections recalling decaying walls or projects left on hold. In addition, the steel rods used to hold the concrete formwork are not sawed off to be discarded, instead, they are removed, painted and re-planted unto the façade as a form of âhairyâ cladding. This keeps in line with the budget restrictions, while recycling the waste of construction. Sustaining the idea of paradox, the textured exterior is contrasted with flush glazing that brings smoothness, reflections and plentiful light while at night custom lighting fixtures line terraces and rooftops infusing some order to the ostensible unruliness.
Site-produced waste is further recycled by two bridges that act as grand entrances to the project. Made of thin 4mm steel plates sitting on an assemblage of recuperated reinforcement bars, the bridges are sustainable both ecologically and economically, in addition to innovating on a structural level. Both experimental bridges were field tested with 4 and 5 tons of weight respectively to ensure the structural integrity of the randomized space frame principle, used here for the first time.
Multi-purpose concrete columns define the space of the terraces while hosting fans, lighting, planters, cameras, speakers, heaters, garbage cans and canopy supports. The totems are a re-interpretation of the columns left by Lebanese families atop their homes in anticipation of a future floor addition.
Through a pair of steel benches clinging on to the exterior walls, Cluster H also tries to address the issue of Beirutâs lack of public spaces by providing a potential model of how walls in the city could host urban furniture and enhance the quality of civic life.
While raw concrete is extensively used and large masses are clearly present, they are fragmented and glazing is extensive. This is meant as a departure from 20th century brutalist structures and is our contemporary interpretation of a gentler Mediterranean brutalism.
