Livegreen Blog

Beirut Terraces, the 26-story high-rise designed by Swiss architects Herzog and De Meuron, is part of a larger master-plan to revive this area of Beirut, scarred by its troubled past, particularly the recent assassination of prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. The 116-meter-high multilayer residential complex was designed with five key components in mind: layers and terraces, inside and outside, vegetation, views and privacy, light and identity. The individual residences are set either back or forward to create spaces for terraces and overhangs, light and shadow, and sheltered and exposed areas.
Its moderate climate makes the outdoors an integral part of Beirut’s urban life. With this in mind, indoor and outdoor spaces blend together in the design of each apartment, making the terraces an important part of everyday living.
Moreover, the building’s vegetation is an active, breathing part of its architecture, creating pleasant microclimates and framing picturesque views of the ocean on one side and a green boulevard on another.
Extensive overhangs provide shade and minimize the building’s solar gain. Furthermore, the relative thickness of the floor plates is substantial enough to balance daily temperature cycles by virtue of its thermal mass, storing heat during the day and releasing it on cooler nights. It is such passive strategies that make the building truly sustainable.
130 apartments of different layouts and dimensions, including singles, duplexes and townhouses, are distributed throughout the building, offering a variety of options to meet each tenant’s needs and give each apartment a unique identity.
The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2013 or mid-2014.

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