The reconstruction of the Souks shopping district in Beirut is the first major construction project towards reanimating the largely destroyed Central District. Here a site of six hectares is primed to receive a large shopping arena together with housing, offices and parking on a combined surface area of 200,000 m2.

The welter of functions and participants can be defined as a small town - or a large building. This is because one project developer is to see it through in a single operation, an indication of the large steps planned for the reconstruction.

Mediating between the two definitions is a building structure based on a module of 42 x 13 metres that organizes in a programmatic sandwich the great diversity and many layers of the scheme's components. This effectively frees it from the monofunctionality and enclave-forming typical of many shopping areas.

In this part of town too are the parking zones under a rippling roof. At the new ground level a fine mesh of shopping malls is set in place beneath a rampant proliferation of housing and offices kept in check by the nature of its architecture.

Place of education: TU Delft
Tutors: Hans Daane, Henk Engel, Dirk Frieling, Edward Hulsbergen & Leen Hulsbos
Specialization: surban design; architecture