off the record - Environmental and Technical Thesis (ETS 5) by Nour Hamade

‘off the record’ Sex, Ruin(s) & (3rd) Space: Queer Space and Heritage Restoration in Beirut Nour Hamade Environmental and Technical Studies: Design Thesis (ETS 5) Architectural Association 2020/2021 Diploma 6

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Thank you to all ETS 5 tutors, specifically: Javier Castanon Nacho Marti Joana Carla Soares Gonçalves Sho Ito David Illingworth

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Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Abstract Heritage in Beirut Myriad of Islands Project Proposal & Manifesto

Act I: Identify .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 27 Public Sphere Mobilising the City Project Framework Maintenance Sequence

Act II: Extract .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 39 Map Extraction Layers of dis(Order) Heritage and Maintenance (post-blast)

Act III: Survey - Part 1 ............................................................................................................................................................................... 55 Project Site Site Analysis

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Surveying Photogrammetry Fragments Application

Act III: Survey - Part 2 ............................................................................................................................................................................... 75 Detailed Site General Arrangements

Act IV: Determine ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 93 Destruction Analysis Climatic & Environment Condition Typology

Act V: re(Build)

......................................................................................................................................................................................... 113

Programme Materials Vaults Foundations Stonework Blockwork

Act VI: re(Design) ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 135 Scaffolding, part 1 Patchwork Infill Additional Floor Bringing the Roof to Life Permanent Scaffolding, part 2

Conclusion

................................................................................................................................................................................................ 177

Post-ETS

Cultural re-generation

Reformative social movements

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te-Private iva

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Revolutionairy social movements

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Se Se m m

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Introduction

Abstract Heritage in Beirut Myriad of Islands Project Proposal & Manifesto 7

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ETS Abstract Question & Aim

How can acts of restoration be utilised and manipulated on ruins in Beirut in order to accommodate new queer spaces?

The Environmental & Technical Studies (ETS 5) thesis aims to develop a strategy to reuse existing heritage structures in Beirut in order to design ‘Third’ spaces for queer bodies in Beirut. Instead of demolishing recent ruins and rebuilding structures from new - adding more chaos to the fragments of the city - the thesis aims to explore different techniques of re-use that mutually deal with heritage restoration and the needs of queer bodies. These heritage building are in danger as they have no legal protection. Current legislations date back to the 1930’s and only protect structures that were built before the eighteenth century. This allows current developers to exploit the ambiguous system and destroy the vast number of houses that remain.

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Many of the historic buildings that characterise the architectural heritage of Beirut have already been lost since the 1990’s. Due to the reconstruction works after the civil war, urbanisation and globalisation, some developers have found an opportunity to demolish these original structures and build unintegrated skyscrapers. Even the structures that were saved back then were always threatened by ‘unintentional’ demolition. Now, after the explosion that occurred on the 4th of August 2020, some professional restorers and local NGOs have began protecting the remaining heritage and attempting to keep them standing using temporary scaffolding techniques, mesh protection and temporary roof fittings. As part of the proposal, a new institution: ‘Bayt Akhar’ is formed. Acting on the duality of heritage restoration and queer production, it aims to create new brave spaces of care for the queer bodies of Lebanon, whilst re-birthing the rich heritage of the city. The report is intended to be used as a manual; where one site was chosen from approximately 250 potential heritage buildings (83 of which were around the immediate radius of the explosion), which can then be replicated to simultaneously deal with heritage restoration and the production of queer spaces - to enhance the legislation and realisation of queer bodies in Beirut, Lebanon. The report is presented in 9 chapters; 7 of which are part of the institution’s manual. I will firstly discuss the urgent need of care for some heritage buildings that have recently been impacted by the blast, then convey the ways in which Queer bodies currently occupy the city, and the need of a physical space that inhabits safety and care. I will then demonstrate the method of extrapolating the potential sites of intervention and the act of surveying as both an archival and measurement tool. Then, the chosen site will be used as a primary example of re-use, re-design and re-build; starting off with the existing structure and the urgent maintenance required to protect it, then the tools of re-designing the ways in which the spaces work, and finally, the strategies in which the proposal will take place. These strategies act on both the old and the new; dealing with the existing language and re-shifting its use to allow it to be used by queer bodies.

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Beirut

Drawing, elevation rastar, map

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1920

Beirut’s Heritage

The heritage value of the Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael neighbourhoods dates back to the 19th century, with their architecture of the Ottoman and French mandate eras. They were among the first built after the expansion of the city of Beirut and of the few that still constitute a coherent historic urban fabric, only slightly affected by contemporary development. The Ottoman era architecture from the second half of the 19th century highlights residential buildings and villas with red tiled pitched roofs and large central halls featuring the famous triplearched bay, emblematic of Beirut. Beirut is known to be rich with heritage buildings representing the architectural glamour of the Ottoman and French-mandate eras. Article 26 of Lebanon’s preservation laws dating back to 1933 legally obliges the Lebanese government to reimburse owners of buildings it has classified. This same obsolete heritage law preserves only monuments built before 1700.

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Source: Ragette, F. (1974). Architecture in Lebanon: The Lebanese House during the 18th and 19th Centuries. Beirut: American University of Beirut.

Beirut, 1920

Source: Saliba, R. (1998). Domestic Architecture between Traditionvand Modernity. Beirut: OEA.

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Beirut’s Heritage.. Lost

Currently no new legislation has materialized concerning preservation of heritage buildings, despite efforts by former Culture Minister Raymond Areiji in 2016 to draft an updated heritage law. According to Areiji, the number of remaining heritage buildings in Beirut is 500. This number of enduring heritage buildings has decreased over time and more so following the unfortunate Beirut blast that occurred on August 4, 2020. As a result, 640 historic buildings (including heritage buildings) were damaged, 60 of which are at risk of collapse. The damaged buildings include old homes, museums, religious sites and cultural landmarks like Sursock Museum. Lebanon has a rich and diverse heritage inherited from many civilizations that existed on its territory. Lebanon, once home to the Phoenicians, has been colonized and conquered by many countries, all of which left a huge cultural heritage and traditions in the country. Lebanon’s heritage mostly dates back to the 19th century, and it has been largely and mainly influenced by both the Ottoman and the French eras. Among Lebanon’s huge heritage are the traditional and historical buildings that are mostly still present in Lebanon’s capital city, Beirut. Unfortunately, Beirut’s historic buildings are now at risk of collapse following the devastating explosion that rocked the port area of the capital, on the 4th of August 2020, and destroyed parts of the city and the surrounding regions, such as Achrafieh, Gemmayze, Rmeil, Medawar, Karantina, and Mar Mikhael. That is why Lebanese officials and architects around the country are calling for quick action on reconstructing, preserving, and restoring these houses, in an effort to preserve Lebanon’s culture.

The growth of Beirut domestic typology; 1840 - 1920

Source: Saliba, R. (1998). Domestic Architecture between Traditionvand Modernity. Beirut: OEA.

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Source: Google Maps; Ghady Assaf (OSCAR by DRONE)

2020

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The urban fabric of the city visualises the constant war between the intended heterogeneity of the urban form, and the mere individuality that results. The city could be described as a ‘myriad of islands,’ a territory divided into fragments, each representing a specific agenda. Hitherto, the fragments represented a specific religious affiliation, demonstrating a distinct social identity and way of life. Today, religious affiliation is replaced by political ideologies, a mean of occupying space as an access to power; both a foreshadow to the political climate to come and a mere representation of the city’s violent history.

Myriad of Islands

Focus area of Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael “The city of Beirut was at once the product, the object, and the project of imperial and urban politics of difference: overlapping European, Ottoman, and municipal civilising missions completed in the political fields of administration, infrastructure, urban planning… and architecture”. Hanssen, J., (2005). Fin de Siècle Beirut: The Making of an Ottoman Provincial Capital. Oxord: Clarendon Press. p. 4.

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Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael Heritage Sites

Port of Beirut: point of impact from the blast

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Site

Focus area of Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael. Land use showing industrial, commericial, park, and heritage sites

August 4 2020 On the 4th of August 2020 - in the midst of a global pandemic, a national economic crisis and a continuously evolving government regime - an explosion erupted at the main port of Beirut, destroying the surrounding areas, killing over two hundred people, and impacting infrastructure, homes and people more than 10 kilometres away from point of impact. People were left in a state of isolation, where systems of care and solidarity are lost, Parallel to the post-civil war period in Beirut, and the many disruptive situations that occurred since, this serves as a platform for potential possibilities of a new democracy and political reform. It mainly interrupted what is known as the ‘hip’ district, Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael. A place of heritage and migration where buildings have witnessed and endured two world wars, a fifteen year civil war and several Israeli attacks.

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Now, the country remains divided, and a new agenda for fostering a network of care commences.

Project Framework

Urbanism, Heritage and the Queer Community

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Project Framework

Urbanism, Heritage and the Queer Community

The project deals with the mutuality between the urban fabric, the neglected heritage and the ignored queer community. It aims to encompass and join the elements that have been forgotten and attempt to bring back the rich heritage of the city whilst giving space to a new public sphere for a group of queer individuals. Existing

Using the sites impacted by the explosion, can those spaces of heritage and destruction become potential spaces for productive queer spaces? Heritage

Urban

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Queer community

Project: sex, ruin(s) & (3rd) space

Heritage

Urban Queer community

‘Bayt Akhar’ a manifesto َََ ٓٓ

I propose an institution that acts on both rebuilding heritage whilst creating spaces of the future. The aim of queer visibility is not to include queers in the dominant ‘heteronormative’ culture, but to continually question normativity in the public spheres. The notion is to take the concept of defensive and offensive spaces and potentially use architecture as a tool to progress the legalisation of queer bodies in Beirut. Object -> Room -> House -> Street -> City Micro -> Macro Countercultural Centre - an anti-institution: The project is an archive; a collection of images, videos, voices and buildings - that all have the same goal to progress queer rights. The design serves as a house and an educational centre, of a counterculture, to legitimise the community as a present group within the city, to protect their safety, house the vulnerable and to educate ones within and out on the history and importance of the queer subculture.

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The project (design) aims to build a sharing platform that will try to create aspiration for the surrounding, and be a catalyst for better communication between the queer community and the majority. The acts proposed include : (1) Identify the needs of members of the queer subculture; their needs, safety, inclusion-related concerns through intersectional relationships. (2) Extract sites, plots and buildings that require rehabilitation and/or care. (3) Survey specific sites to discover context-specific elements or fragments that determine the language of existing structures. (4) Determine urgency of physical care to existing structures and spatial possibilities. (5)Rebuild and (re)design the network of spaces to create a gradient of privacy within and their relationship to the internal and external members, the public and the city. (6)Ultimately, build a shared platform that will question the normative whilst generating a safe space of inclusion within the institution and its affiliations.

The following chapters are to be read as a manual that could potentially be repeated to the different heritage structures of the city. 23

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Dealing with Heritage

Preservation

Demolition

Restoration

(Adaptive) Re-Use ETS 5: off the record

The different tactics of heritage care can be utilised to mutually deal with the delicate heritage and to fit the new purpose of the institution.

‘Queer’:

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c. 1500, “strange, peculiar, eccentric,” “to spoil, ruin,” from Scottish, perhaps from Low German queer “oblique, off-centre,” related to German quer “oblique, perverse, odd,” from Old High German twerh “oblique,” from PIE root *terkw- “to twist.” :‘‫’شاذ‬ “Shath” (adj)/ Shouthouth (noun) translated to “oblique” ‘‫’لوطي‬ “Louti” ”Kawm Lout,” derived from “People of Lot” The illicit act of sodomy; where the prophet’s father in law burned a ‘louti’ alive for such an act Transferred into colloquial Arab language to depict a “faggot”

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Act I: Identify Identify the needs of members of the queer subculture; their needs, safety, inclusion-related concerns through intersectional relationships.

Public Sphere Mobilising the City Project Framework Maintenance Sequence 27

Government

State

Socio-Political

Economy

Exec Legislative

Socio-Economic

Public Sphere

Governme

Politica

Publi

Informal Civil Society Actors

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Socio-Cultural

Culture

Citi

Private

Private Sphere

The term ‘public’ implies the highest level of inclusivity; Jürgen Habermas coined the term ‘public sphere,’ which can be seen as a domain of social life where public opinions can be formed, shaped and expressed. The ‘citizen’ or the (body) takes on the role of a private person, one who is not acting on behalf of an institution, or private interests, therefore, a contrast between private dominion and public autonomy must be explicit.

The model, which can be conveyed in di dichotomy between public and private. i on the separation of the public image an between which allows the private self to

Habermas’ theory of the public sphere w Enlightenment France were still present, power - women and the lower classes. Th an analogy to present day Lebanon, whe lower classes, are neglected from public d rendered aneu logou - without a public v defined within the confined context of t familial order.

Public Sphere

Habermas’ Theory and Lebanon

cutive

ental Sphere

Judiciary

al Parties Formal Civil Society Actors

Public Sphere

ic Sphere

e Sphere

ifferent variations presents an explicit it introduces a different point of view nd the private self, and a possible void in be publicised.

was written in 1962, where the impacts of , impacting those with less authoritative The exclusion of such social classes presents ere queer bodies, amongst women and the discourse. Queer bodies in Lebanon are voice - with their identities increasingly their imagination, or the silence of

Governmental Sphere

Culture Judiciary

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izens

Legislative

Private Sphere

Lebanon is a parliamentary democracy, operating in the scope of confessionalism - a de jure mix of religion and politics. A sectarian state where religion is a focal element in culture, society, politics and legal systems, it usually acts as the main denominator in dividing (and joining) the common. ‘culture’ or the social behaviours and norms of society, is embedded within the governmental, the public and the private sphere of Lebanon. The country’s legal structure combines basic common laws that abide to all eighteen religious sects. Therefore, can Habermas’ theory of the public sphere be applicable and/or manipulated in order to design queer spaces in Beirut?

queer, quer, to ruin The etymology of the term ‘queer’ stems from the original word ‘terkw’ meaning to twist, through the german word ‘quer’, it becomes an expression for something that is perverse, or ‘off centre’. the scottish idiom is the act of ruining, or spoiling, and sits in an eccentric, peculiar state. Today, it is used to identify the community that falls within the (LGBT(QIA+)) group, serving as an umbrella term. Queer provides a sense of undefined abstractness; used to describe those who exist outside of societal ‘norms’ or of what society mandates.

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Queer existence in Lebanon is somewhat ambiguous. Since Lebanon’s independence in 1943, ‘homosexual activity’ was accounted as illegal in legal texts of the time and punishment attended to imprisonment of up to one year in regards of “sexual acts that go against the nature.” Through to 2014, same-sex activity remained the same but judge Rabih Maalouf ruled that “homosexuality is a personal choice and should not be a punishable offence,” referencing Article 183 of the nations criminal code; however, the legalisation was not enforced. This period was momentous for queer rights in Lebanon, as the discussion of their existence commenced.

An individual imprisoned i

On September 9th 2018, ‘homosexual activity’ became legal under the Lebanese supreme court; yet no law within a legal text was passed. Currently, sex change is legal and employment discrimination rights are enforced - in some contexts. As the subject of same-sex desire remains a fragile topic within the court, powerful politicians and judges refrain from discussing such matters to keep their societal reputation upheld. Today, legislations remain obscure, and Article 534, a relic of French Mandate, and part of the official Penal Code of 1943, also criminalises ‘sexual intercourse against nature,’ and Article 521 criminalises gender expression by making it an offence for a man to ‘disguise himself as a woman’. The penalty for this offence is up to six years imprisonment.

Stills from documentaries by Lebanese filmmakers showing queer narratives and the appropriation of existing spaces in Beirut by illicit bodies.

The individual incessantly rec

constructs their identity.

Queer bodies in Beirut

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in the eye of the public.

Mobilising the City

Gestures and seduction manifest as requisites amongst Queer people.

ashrafieh69 is 137 metres away.

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Objects present the mirrored queer version of the self-enclosed identity.

Sexuality confined in the darkness o

Activism, protests and riots serve as the platforms (spaces) of visibility.

Queer space offers a clear model for such

h an architectural counter-artifice.

Queer bodies in Beirut

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of the bedroom, or the phone.

Mobilising the City

Queer space cannot be created or designed simply as a safe space.

Queer space is the space of activism and inclusion.

How can the body reclaim its orientation?

When does the cycle end? Is this an opportunity?

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Why are we concealing the anomalous?

Is this how the world is to be rebuilt?

Who is in charge of heritage?

Can we be visible?

What is a non-binary mode of living?

Project Framework 10-Step Framework

The project proposes a 10-step framework that aims to produce queer spaces in the city of Beirut. A third space can be created where these displaced bodies exploit their limitations and shift the use of space into radical intellectual conversations between their ‘queer’ selves, which would then transpose into the more public realms of the city. The aim of such is to rehabilitate ‘dead’ or unproductive spaces to restore heritage, and to then ingrain bodies that were disorientated into the social fabric of the city.

How can space be fluid?

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•

When does the cycle end?

•

How can the body reclaim its orientation?

•

Is this an opportunity?

•

Is this how the world is to be rebuilt?

•

Who is in charge of heritage?

•

Why are we concealing the anomalous?

•

Can we distort social order?

•

What is a non-binary mode of living?

•

Can we be visib le ?

•

How can space be fluid?

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Maintenance Sequence

Tactics of (re)Design

Destructed house

Structural maintenance Structural rehabilitation

Access points appointed

Intermediary spaces created

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Informal circulation and communication Interior reconstruction and division

Private and public use

Spaces of communication designed

Care of disorientated bodies

Additional public sphere formed

Heritage buildings returned to the city

Co-existing

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Act II: Extract Extract sites, plots and buildings that require rehabilitation and/or care.

Map Extraction Layers of dis(Order) Heritage and Maintenance (post-blast) 39

Chaos

Mapping out potential sites of intervention

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The following map exercises were utilised to extract potential sites of intervention in a city with minimal urban planning. This allowed me to visualise the locations of parcels, post-war structures, heritage buildings, evicted buildings and the plethora of damaged structures. Using GIS data and techniques; areas, land type, building type, building year, mobility of the city etc. were utilised in order to created a layered sequence in order to extrapolate potential sites and buildings; then investigating those that require immediate care.

Plot

Introducing a grid to the chaos of the urban fabric of Beirut, presenting the existing plots of land, also called ‘parcels,’ and the radii of the impact of the explosion.

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Existing Buildings

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Building blueprints of the city pre-blast.

Too Small to Build

These are not buildings, but plots of land (called ‘parcels’) that are below 100 m2, deemed unbuildable as sole plots. These are owned both privately and publicly and are usually backed up by ownership fraud. They currently house the majority of parking lots that are scattered around the city, some illegally. These present potential sites of additional interventions, scattering the queer fragments around the city. The 1954 zoning law specified that 35 square meters is the minimum allowable buildable plot size. In 1973, this article was annulled from the 1954 zoning law. Today, in zone 3 for instance, the minimum buildable plot has to have an area of 120 square meters for existing plots, and 300 square meters for newly parceled plots. Such constraints on building in small plots are among the key reasons pushing small owners to sell their properties to large investment companies, hence majorly shifting the historic social constitution of neighbourhoods.

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Post-Civil War

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Buildings that were permitted after the end of the civil war in 1990, many of which are owned by developers that have destructed and rebuilt more than 30% of the city.

The Right to Demolish

Buildings that have received permits for demolition betweeen 2014 and 2018. 193 buildings in the city were granted permits for demolition, 26 of which were heritge buildings dating back pre-1940’s. Some post-civil structures were also included to allow for new higher skyscrapers to take over the city.

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Evicted

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Buildings that were evicted pre-blast as part of new developments. 7 of those buildings were heritage structures (pre-1940’s). This also presents some of the city’s occupants that have been kicked out (or paid off ) by developers in order to re-shape the city

Impacts of the ‘Blast’

The impacts on the fabric of the city; the more densely hatched areas show the heaviest impacts, possibly where buildings have been completely destroyed. Over 8,000 buildings in the city were damaged. 83 structures concentrated in the historic quarters of Gemayzeh and Mar Mikhael were affected.

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Layers of (dis)Order

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The layering of maps to extract certain plots or buildings that relate to different implications. These sites highlight the most in need spaces that require care, and can potentially be made productive as spaces for queer initiatives. 250 heritage buildings are potentially extracted from the mapping exercise, whilst 83 of those structure sit around the 5km impact radius. After a walk around the entire city, some final sites were discovered and presented in the following pages.

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Heritage

Structures within the Focus Area

Example heritage sites in Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael: “Heritage is commonly understood as a process of con- scious, purposeful remembrance for the political, cultural or economic needs of those in the present; it involves a subjective representation of valued objects, significant persons, places and symbolic events of the past, closely allied with issues of identity and power. . . . More especially so, post-colonial societies, following their at- tainment of independence from colonial rule, tend to be preoccupied with issues of representation and defining a new identity, for which selected aspects of the past understood as heritage serve as inspiration or foundation. The seizing of selfrepresentation is often a key prerogative, as these societies attempt to complement (and complete) political freedom with a “decolonization of the mind.”

Quote from: S. Marschall, (2008). “The Heritage of PostColonial Societies,” in B. Graham and P. Howard, eds., The Ashgate Research Companion to Heritage and Identity. Hampshire: Ashgate. p. 347

Next page: The current state of maintenance 51

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These heritage structures present the many buildings in which this project could be replicated. Most of what has been, and still is being, debated pertains to Beirut’s colonial heritage, this includes the period from the second half of the nineteenth century to the first decades of the twentieth century. During this time, the medieval city was partially razed as part of the Ottoman modernising reforms (1900–1916) and then duly Haussmannized (the regeneration of Paris) under the French Mandate (1920s–1930s). Because of this timing, the buildings and townscapes of this period may be qualified simultaneously as “colonial” and “early modern.” On the one hand, their conservation thus raises the issue of assimilating the colonial legacy as an integral part of national heritage, and on the other, it raises the issue of qualifying early modern architecture as eligible for conservation.

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Stills from film by author:

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Act III: Survey Part 1

Table of Surveying, 1728

Survey specific sites to discover context-specific elements or fragments that determine the language of existing structures.

Project Site Site Analysis Surveying Photogrammetry Fragments Application 55

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The site sits on a lot listed as heritage by DGA. The building was renovated between 2008 and 2014 before the blast reversed it.

Existing S

Project Site

Rmeil 391; The Blue House The chosen site is tucked into the Rmeil block off of the main street of Gemmayze. It sits on a steep topography and is surrounded by a range of large trees that create a multiplicity of a defensive space whilst still being easily accessed; it allows for programmes and access to be both accessible but also safe for the queer bodies it is for.

The unbuildable parcels shown at the start are also present within the surroundings, which imply a possibility of extending the production of the building into the open public spaces of the city.

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Site Plan

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Sector 71: Mar Nicolas

RUE GOURAUD

Site Analysis

Site Entrance

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Entrance to the site in January 2021. From the main street of Gouraud; the surroundings buildings remain upheld by temporary scaffolding until necessary funds are given in order to re-construct the damaged fragments.

The streetscape is clad with the green mesh that protects rubble from falling onto the street whilst protecting the scaffolding and the structure from excessive wind and rain.

Entrance into the building is on a steep hill in between two structures; a mid-twentieth century building and a nineteenth century heritage structure.

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Project Site

Post-Blast

The damage of an ongoing heritage project The house and a few surrounding plots are currently owned by the aristocratic Surock family (Lady Cochrane), which establishished significant positions of power within the Ottoman Empire. The Sursock palace behind the site is the family’s main quarters and became part of the long-term restoration of Lebanon’s heritage. Important as the physical preservation of the existing remains may be, still more urgent in Lebanon is the control of new construction and the education of the public to appreciate the values at stake. To further these ends in 1959 a small group of concerned citizens under the leadership of Lady Cochrane founded the Association for the Preservation of Sites and Old Buildings, 79 which established the following as its aims:

The building faces north, and the blast came from the port which is located south-south-west. The north and west façade were the most destroyed, physically breaking the stone walls on the second floor from point of impact. As the building sits on a hill, the vibrations and waves from the explosion were exposed to the two facing elevations. The roof was also partially damaged, breaking a number of the red tiles and leaving the secondary structure at risk. The Baghdadi ceiling on the north/west room was also partially destroyed, damaging fixtures and the detailed plaster elements. Most windows, doors and shutters on the first and second floor of the north and west fronts were also destroyed, but the lower ground floor was less damaged, protected by the buildings in front and the trees.

Source: Ghady Assaf (OSCAR by DRONE)

Image source: current owner of the house, Alfred Cochrane

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1. To support the preservation and restoration of buildings of artistic or historical value. 2. To aid in the development of understanding and appreciation of the artistic heritage of Lebanon. 3. To contribute towards the protection and improvement of natural sites and monuments. 4. To encourage high quality architecture and urban development. 5. To fight ugliness resulting from poor planning or lack of maintenance. 6. To stimulate the interest of the public in all questions relating to the environment.

Since 1966, the family began their work in an attempt to withstand the quickly expanding city; the restorations consisted 8 nineteenth century residences, 1 hammam, 2 early twentieth century apartment buildings and 6 gardens.

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Surveying

as an Archival Tool

Archiving the damage During my visit in December; I was able to survey the current state of the building; where most items are being supported by temporary scaffolding and covered with plastic sheets in an attempt to simply maintain the structure and withstand the winter climate. The survey was done in order to engage with complex geometries and ideas and consolidate with the destruction; this can then allow me to identify the structural requirements and what needs to be taken care of. The role of surveying: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Recording, documentation and information management Cultural heritage information systems Digital image processing Surveying methods Archaeological objects, monuments, sites and landscapes

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Front/North facing facade was not attainable as construction elements blocked viewpoint.

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Photogrammetry

Photogrammetry Video:

Photogrammetry Fragments

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Temporary scaffolding

Damaged balcony

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Working platform

Screed/plaster stone wall

Back façade; rectangular shutters

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Stone wall

Main estate gate for Sursock Palace

Main gate

Fragments of Ruin Main bay on the triple arcade window

Typology / Elements These fragments are reproduced in order to understand the language of the existing building. The relationship between control and access are visualised; the first design strategy is to redefine what these domestic elements function as. Exploiting them, re-using them and redesigning them. The relationship between control and access are visualised by these fragments, ensuring that the right people are accessing the future building and preventing the one’s who could be deemed dangerous to access the space.

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Cantilevered ns from Rmeil 391steps; concrete steps with galvanised iron railing

Fragments

Balcony

Main rectangular windows

‘qamariyyeh’ smaller windows

Internal door transoms

Original cement tiles

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Mesh

East Elevation

Mesh West Elevation

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Mesh

South Elevation

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Act III: Survey Part 2 Using the survey to understand the original state of the building. The traditional elements of the house and its language.

Detailed Site General Arrangements 75

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Detailed Ground Floor Plan: Rmeil 391 & Block

Site

1885; The Triple Arcade House The lowest floor sits within the topography and includes five vaulted rooms that extend under the garden. Originally stores or servant quarters, they are now part of the floor above. The central hall, or the Liwan, acts as the buffer between the different spaces of the house. It’s a large ceremonial entrance hall that’s usually flanked by two smaller liwans, it is the most public space of the house and is supported by 4 columns on two sides and a balcony; it allows for a gradient of privacy to be produced within. The first floor currently has its own entrance and follows the same layout as the floor below.

The straightforward symmetry of the plans simplifies the structural design of the houses. Sometimes, however, the rectangular plan of a house conflicts with the irregular shape of a lot. In such cases projecting corbels are used as a transition from the irregular ground floor to the regular upper floor. Construction: All the walls are of ramle stone and are 300mm. Some internal partitions are hollow brick and are 200mm. • All floors are timber beams with marble or tile finishes. • Ceiling height is 6 metres. • Lime plaster walls. Hall painted in faux marble panels. • All joinery in ‘otraneh’ wood. • Timber roof structure reinforced with steel. • First floor ceilings in ‘Baghdadi’ lath and plaster and then frescoed in architectural trompe l’oeil. • Landing balcony supported by visible steel beams cantilever. • Cantilevered exterior stone stairs up to the first floor. •

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The light-weight roof construction brought important structural advantages; in a sense, it was this innovation that sparked off the widespread adoption of the central hall house. The reduction of the roof-load allowed thinner walls for the upper floor, and the large ceilings of the central halls no longer presented a problem. The ceiling is normally carried by the bottom chords of the roof trusses and consists either of wooden sheathing or of wood lath and plaster. Both techniques lend themselves to decorative treatment, which is applied to the extent that funds permit. In houses the length of which does not exceed 8m. The roof trusses may rest on the exterior walls only, leaving the partition walls non-bearing. This method, in combination with solid vaulting below, simplifies the remodelling of such floors today. In larger buildings the roof is also supported by the interior walls. The ceiling under the roof is seldom strong enough to be walked upon, and the attic is never used for living purposes and dormer windows ate unknown.

Existing Front (N

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North Elevation

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North) Elevation

Existing Drawings

Existing Back (S

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South Elevation

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South) Elevation

Existing Drawings

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East Elevation

Existing Side (East

Existing Drawings

West Elevation

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& West) Elevations

Existing Below G

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Below Ground Floor Plan

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Ground Floor Plan

Existing Drawings

Existing Grou

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Ground Floor Plan

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und Floor Plan

Existing Drawings

Existing Firs

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First Floor Plan

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st Floor Plan

Existing Drawings

Existing R

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Roof Plan

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Roof Plan

Existing Drawings

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Act IV: Determine Determine urgency of physical care to existing structures and spatial possibilities.

Destruction Analysis Climatic & Environment Condition Typology 93

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Drawings source: https://davidchipperfield.com/ project/neues_museum Images taken by author

How to Materialise a Ruin

David Chipperfield - Neues Museum, Berlin. Reflected ceiling plans.

The Neues Museum, originally designed by Friedrich August Stüler, was bombed in the Second World War. Some parts of the building survived the bombing, but some parts were missing or severely damaged. In 1997, they pronounced a competition to rebuilt the museum. David Chipperfield won this competition. The main goal of the rebuilding was to keep the original volume. The idea was to reflect at the historical design, without imitating it. This integration between new and old was accomplished by using materials like concrete and bricks without decorations. Also the staircase, the heart of the project, was rebuilt in its original form but in a prefabricated marble cement. Twelve years later, the Neues Museum reopened to the public exhibiting collections of the Egyptian Museum and the Museum of Pre - and Early History.

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Destruction Drawing

West Façade

D: Red roof tiles (used to be imported from M

B: Lightweight wooden roof structure partiall exposure to high temperatures leads to disrupt cellulose molcules and compounds, impacting structure of the wood, making it fragile and w

A/E: Stone wall collapsed; 300mm Ramle ston construction ETS 5: off the record

C: Top floor north/west windows destroyed, g shattered and wooden window frames mostly

E: Internal elements exposed, partially destroy exploded rubble D: Iron steel balustrade impaired

B/E: Intermediate floor structure dislocated; m on lime and aggregates screed on a timber fram machine-cut beams carried on large spanned t steel I-beams linked to the walls. I-beams colla E: Furniture destroyed

C: Glazing shattered and wooden window fram destroyed

A: Stone foundations unstable due to vibratio humidity, and surface abrasion.

Destruction Key: Key: Destruction A: Primary Primary Structure Structure A: B: Secondary Secondary Structure Structure B: C: Openings; Openings; Doors Doors and and Windows Windows C: D: Facade Facade Elements; Elements; Envelope Envelope D: E: Internal Internal Elements Elements E:

B: Shattered roof wall; 200mm hollow brick construction D: Red roof tiles (used to be imported from Marseilles

Marseilles

B: Lightweight wooden roof structure partially destroyed, exposure to high temperatures leads to disruption in cellulose molecules and compounds, impacting the A: Cracks in stone weaken chemical structure of the wood, making it fragile and weak. stone wall, endangering stability D: Roof fascias cracked and broken; usually stone construction A/D: Cracks on plastered

ly destroyed, tion in g the chemical weak.

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stone walls A/E: Stone wall collapsed; 300mm Ramle stone construction

glazing destroyed

C: Top floor north/west windows destroyed, glazing E: Internal rods shattered and wooden window frames mostlysteel destroyed exposed A: Cracks in stone weaken stone wall, endangering stability C/D: Window shutters B/E: Intermediate floor structure fallen dislocated; out ofmosaic place tiling on lime and aggregates screed on a timber frame with machine-cut beams carried on large spanned timber or steel I-beams linked to the walls

yed by

mosaic tiling me with timber or apsed

B: Half-wall partially demolished; 300mm Ramle stone construction D: Iron steel balustrade impaired B: Marble balcony floor partially dismantled

mes

ons, moisture,

shutters fallen ground floor

C/D: Triple arcade bay windows completely destroyed; triple arch on fluted square marble pillars

B: Stone corbels completely destroyed where balcony floor has fallen off

A: Stone foundations unstable due to vibrations, moisture, humidity, and surface abrasion.

Destruction Drawing

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North Façade

B: External staircase still in-tact, might require some structural rehabilitation; pre-fabricated stone construction

A/D: Cracks on plastered stone walls

A: Below ground floor walls reveal some cracks; cross-vaulted rooms in 300mm Ramle stone construction

C/D: Window s out of place on g

A: Primary Structure B: Secondary Structure C: Openings; Doors and Windows D: Facade Elements; Envelope E: Internal Elements

B: Shattered roof wall; 200mm hollow brick construction D: Red roof tiles (used to be imported from Marseilles B: Lightweight wooden roof structure partially destroyed, exposure to high temperatures leads to disruption in cellulose molecules and compounds, impacting the chemical structure of the wood, making it fragile and weak. D: Roof fascias cracked and broken; usually stone construction A/E: Stone wall collapsed; 300mm Ramle stone construction C: Top floor north/west windows destroyed, glazing shattered and wooden window frames mostly destroyed

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shutters fallen ground floor

Destruction Key:

A: Cracks in stone weaken stone wall, endangering stability B/E: Intermediate floor structure dislocated; mosaic tiling on lime and aggregates screed on a timber frame with machine-cut beams carried on large spanned timber or steel I-beams linked to the walls B: Half-wall partially demolished; 300mm Ramle stone construction D: Iron steel balustrade impaired B: Marble balcony floor partially dismantled

C/D: Triple arcade bay windows completely destroyed; triple arch on fluted square marble pillars

B: Stone corbels completely destroyed where balcony floor has fallen off

A: Stone foundations unstable due to vibrations, moisture, humidity, and surface abrasion.

Climatic Conditions

Summer solstice NNW

Sun Path

NNE

Winter solstice NW

ENE

WNW

ESE

WSW

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SSW

SSE

W N

W W N N

SW E N

W SS E N

S E EN

E SS

100

Climatic Conditions Shadow

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101

Natural Ventilation

‘qamariyyeh’ Smaller Windows

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Rectangular Window

Triple Arcade

Heat gain

Positive outcome Natural Negative outcome

The natural possibilities of Beiruti houses: The role of natural ventilation is played as a passive cooling to achieve indoor air velocities having the appropriate temperature and humidity. Windows are designed and located were maximum ventilation can occur in contrast to the high mountain region. They are wooden rectangular casement with wooden shutters from outside showing an evident size, form and function. They are sized to consist with the interior requirements as the cross-ventilation and to get the benefit of prevailing summer winds. The treatment of the wall in terms of surface area, thickness and materiality is a primary concern in relation to the design of the window. Smaller openings called qamariyyeh are placed

102

near the top of the walls to allow warm air to escape. When glass sheets were widely used in the second half of the nineteenth century, the northern elevation was the best place to be widely open through a pointed triple arcades to allow light entrance and reveals greater solar gain. The existence of the three typologies was governed by criteria that nature imposed as well as the limitation of advanced technologies in the building industry; topography, solar exposure, humidity/precipitation and wind patterns all were taken into consideration. This was achieved through the many concepts of application; heavy masonry walls (thermal mass), solar exterior shading, ventilation, view, daylighting, etc,

Orientation

Materials

Infiltration

Shading

Shading Fix

Thermal Mass

Views

Social`

Daylight

Ventilation`

Mid-Seasons

Window/Wall Typology

Winter

Summer

Typology of Windows

Climatic Conditions Wind

m/s

N NNW

NNE 18.00

16.23

14.46 WNW

ENE 12.69

10.92

E 9.15

7.38 WSW

ESE 5.61

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3.84 SW

SE 2.07 SSW

SSE

0.30

Wind Speed (m/s) City: Beirut; Rafic Hariri Intl. Airport Country: LBN Source: ISD-TMYx Period: 1/1 to 12/31 between 0 and 23 @1 Calm for 5.14% of the time = 450 hours. Each closed polyline shows frequency of 0.6% = 50 hours.

N NNW

NNE 1000

NE 750

500

WNW

ENE

250

WSW

The importance of maintaining comfort through constant levels of temperature slowly gave way to criteria of view, natural ventilation with advantageous quality, solar gain and social activities while the thermal mass was no longer a priority. The solar gain and humidity are factors to consider on the coastal region. The supply of outside air to the interior for air motion for healthy and comfortable interior environment is generally defined as ventilation.

ESE

SSW

SSE S

0 > 28

>1 > 38

>5 > 50

> 12 > 61 k m / h

The prevailing wind in Beirut comes from the south-west; this means that the balconies and windows on the doors can have a passive effect fron SW to NE. This gives an opportunity for the destroyed façades to have a new structure that can aid in the natural ventilation of the rooms .

> 19 m e t e ob lu e

103

Passivehaus

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Prevailing Winds

104

40 °C

3 2 °C

3 4 °C 3 4 °C

Typology of Windows

3 2 °C

2 9 °C

30 °C

2 9 °C

2 5 °C 2 1 °C 20 °C

1 7 °C

1 8 °C

1 7 °C

1 9 °C

2 1 °C

2 2 °C

0 °C

9 °C

Jan

Feb

75 mm 2 4 °C

2 1 °C

1 9 °C

1 8 °C

50 mm

1 4 °C

1 4 °C 10 °C

Climatic Conditions

100 mm

1 1 °C

1 1 °C 25 mm

Mar

Apr

May

Pr eci p i t at i o n M ean d ai l y m i n i m u m

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

M ean d ai l y m ax i m u m Co l d n i g h t s

Oct

Nov

Dec

H o t d ay s Wi n d s p eed

0 mm

m e t e ob lu e

Beirut’s climate: stone as a reaction Air Temperature (ordinate): According to the seasonal disposition of the human body we distinguish between two comfort ranges, one for the winter and one for the summer. They are indicated as hatched areas.

30 days

25 days

Relative Humidity(abscissa):

20 days

Next to the temperature the relative humidity is decisive for our comfort. Above 45 % the upper comfort limit is reduced.

15 days

10 days

Wind:

5 days

0 days

Jan

Feb

Apr

May

> 3 0 °C > 5 °C

Jun

Jul

> 2 5 °C ≥ 0 °C

Aug

Sep

> 2 0 °C Fr o s t d ay s

Oct

Nov

Dec

> 15°C m e t e ob lu e

30 days

Air motion increases the evaporation of moisture on the skin, providing thereby a cooling effect. Cross ventilation in buildings therefore increases the comfort range, particularly when high humidity is involved. However, air velocity must not exceed 90 m/min. in order to avoid drafts.

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> 3 5 °C > 1 0 °C

Mar

Evaporation:

25 days

Evaporation of moisture draws thermal energy from the air and reduces its temperature. Since the air must be able to absorb the added moisture, this process is only practicable at a relative humidity of 50 %or below.

20 days

15 days

10 days

Solar Radiation

5 days

0 days

Jan

Feb

50 - 10 0 m m < 2m m

Mar

Apr

May

2 0 - 50 m m D r y d ay s

Jun

Jul

10 - 2 0 m m Sn o w d ay s

Aug

Sep

Oct

5- 10 m m

Nov

Dec

2 - 5m m m e t e ob lu e

30 days

25 days

20 days

15 days

10 days

5 days

0 days

Jan 0 > 28

Feb

Mar >1 > 38

Apr

May

Jun >5 > 50

Jul

Aug

Sep

> 12 > 61 k m / h

https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/lebanon/beirut-climate

Oct

Nov

Dec

> 19 m e t e ob lu e

Solar radiation (kcal/m2) can be used to heat buildings and during the sunny winter periods in Lebanon it effectively extends the lower margin of the comfort range (see right side of .diagram). Above 21 ° C air temperature no additional solar radiation is desirable. This determines the extent of the need for shading.(Sky vault radiation is not considered in the diagram.) Beiruti houses were greatly influenced by the availability of stone offering the opportunity for good masonry construction. This produced families of stonemasons who passed their skills from generation to generation. Stones used were hard enough to withstand heavy loads and was used in foundations and walls. The wall coating is mainly made from lime mixed with sand and hemp that allows the wall to breathe and reduce indoor humidity. Likewise tiled pyramidal shaped roofs provide efficient insulation from the heat of the sun. The construction materials and architectural design can show the efficiency of their thermal performance.

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Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-andplanetary-sciences/cambisol

106

Environmental Conditions Soil

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Soil water contents around site, by author

Vertic Cambisols The soil around the site us that of Vertic Cambisols (CMvr); which means that for construction, it has both positive and negative affects. Although great for natural resources, its water retention my allow condensation to occur at lower leves, i.e. foundations. This means that protective caution must be taken to maintain and elongate the strength of the building’s foundation Soils that show soil formation by either: Colour change compared to parent material Soil structure development Leaching of carbonates Formation of silicate clays and sesqui(hydr)oxides as result of weathering of primary minerals

107

Typology

The Typologies of Lebanese Houses

Main typologies of traditional Lebanese houses Lebanon is home to impressive traditional architecture. Every region in Lebanon has a concentration of a specific type of architecture. Each type of these houses has its own character and is therefore distinct and different. In this article, we will be focusing on 3 types of houses that are commonly found in Beirut and its surrounding regions that were severely damaged by the explosions in Port of Beirut on August 4th. The Triple Arcade House:

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The Triple Arcade House typology dates back to the 19th century. These houses are typical bourgeois houses that belong to the Ottoman era. They are made up of several dwelling rooms that are laid around a large central hall or room. This room is usually used as a living room. The front of this room is often decorated with triple arcade windows that overlook a balcony or a garden. Aristocratic houses also often have towers and porches. These types of houses are mostly found in Beirut, but can also be found in other regions, such as Zahle and Douma. They are mostly made with Ramle stone and the ceiling with wood, while their main façade is made of arcades. Besides the three arcades that can be found on the house’s main façade, all other windows in the house are usually rectangular. In aristocratic houses, galleries and cornices can also be found around the façade. The decorations and architecture in Triple Arcade houses are inspired mostly by the Baroque, Moorish, Gothic, and Medieval art styles. The restoration of the Triple Arcade houses will be further discussed in the second part of the article. The Central Hall House Although the house with a central hall originated about 3000 years ago, the style became well established in the 19th century and is now the most common, identifiable, and preferred house type in Lebanon. It is rare in neighboring countries. The origin of this design may be the Roman atrium. The central hall was surrounded by rooms on two or sometimes three sides. The access was either directly from the rear or indirectly from the side via a corridor, but never from the front triple arcade. The house often had two floors and a symmetrical composition. It was found in cities as well as villages.

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The development of these structures over time probably began with the simple rectangular house and gallery, with the liwan and central hall added later. But all of these types remained in use simultaneously. The choice was dictated by economic considerations, local conditions or practices, and personal preferences. Tradition encouraged the repetition of house types, but sometimes modifications and combinations were made. The Wikalat: The Wikalat is an apartment building that goes back to the 19th century. It can have four levels at most and can include two apartments per floor. It often has shops on the ground level. The Wikalat is made with reinforced concrete pillars and Ramleh stone walls. In terms of structure, the Wikalat is made up of several dwelling rooms that are laid around a central hall or room. This room has triple arcade windows that overlook a balcony or a veranda. However, unlike the Triple Arcade house, this type of houses is not for the aristocrats. They are often rented out to families of different backgrounds and origins and are mostly found in RmeilMedawar region. The most dominant art styles in Wikalat are Baroque, Gothic, Moorish, or Art Deco.

The Harat: Harat are 3 to 4 storey buildings with verandas. This type of buildings began to be developed during the French Mandate, in the 1930s. Harat are generally surrounded by private gardens, with rooms symmetrically organized around the living room. The façade of the Harat is usually oriented towards the north and is often decorated with triple arcade windows. These houses are distinguished by their verandas, which have helped transform the urban landscape in the city. The verandas of this type of houses have, in fact, restored the possibility of staying outside, especially to the tenants on the upper floors who do not have access to a garden or a backyard. This outdoor space functions as a room in the open air, which is not the case with the narrow balcony of the Triple Arcade houses or the Wikalat. Harat houses are mainly found in the Rmeil-Medawar region. They have different art styles, mainly Art Nouveau and Art Deco, and sometimes Baroque and Moorish.

Stone

A Load Bearer Growing out of the discipline of constructing in stone, the shapes of walls and roofs normally adhere to the simple geometry of squares, rectangles and trapezoids. Spans and cantilevers are strictly limited. While the repetition of similarly shaped openings preserves continuity, their irregular distribution within one facade sometimes creates welcome diversity. Still, symmetrical compositions abound, particularly in connection with the triple-arch motif. However, such symmetry is never artificially applied from the outside, but is in harmony with the internal arrangement of spaces, which in turn follows a module of construction dictated by the length of timbers or the span of vaults. Strong rhythmic effects are created by the grouping of windows

and arcades. The uniform adherence to an upright proportion of openings and the attendant limitation of their span is extremely important. Imposed by structural necessity, it ensures the correct expression of stone masonry. Considering the tectonic composition of multi-floor construction, the usual practice of building non-vaulted floors on top of vaulted ones, and the general tendency to have fewer openings on the ground floor than on the upper floor, produces an appropriate decrease of massiveness

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Location of stone quarries in Lebanon

109

Bind Masonry construction as a local solution Mud construction is limited to the Beqa’a valley, as a result of its geological condition. Otherwise the abundance of stone in the whole country offers the opportunity for good masonry construction. Depending on local conditions, either limestone, sandstone or basalt are predominant. Certain kinds of sandstone, particularly in the Beirut area, are so porous that they require plastering to withstand the weather. This practice became widespread at the turn of the nineteenth century and traditional masonry joints were imitated in plaster often producing poor results. The availability of stone and its continual use for construction produced families of stonemasons who passed on their accumulated skill from generation to generation, evolving a mastery and tradition of design in stone which is largely responsible for the homogeneous character of Lebanese architecture. Rough wood of medium quality was available for the construction of short span roofs while dressed timber for roof framing and veneers had to be imported, as was the case for roof tiles. Their occurrence gives important clues for the dating of buildings.

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Standard construction was heaviest at bottom and lightest on top in order to reduce the total load. The vaults act as secondary foundations, allowing some of the weight from the floors above to be spread. Load-bearing stone was used for the vault and the main walls, then meet at the stone foundations, which follow the topography of the terrain. The internal walls are 400/200/100 mm hollow concrete blocks, which take on much less load as the span is greater than 8m. The intermediate floor is constructed out of wooden battens and joists, topped with screed and tiles, also reducing the total load impact. By introducing steel I-Beams and horizontal wooden joists, the weight is then spread out from the main stone walls into the internal hollow brick walls. Finally, the roof was constructed using king, queen and combination post trusses; a modern invention at the time, which allowed for tilted roofs to be constructed; specifically focusing on the hipped roof, angled between 30 and 35 degrees. Lightweight roofs brought a new era for construction; by allowing larger houses with large spans, to avoid having flat roofs.

Binding technique

110

Load path

Heavy / Light

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111

112

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Act V: re(Build) Rebuild the ruin and (re)design the network of spaces to create a gradient of privacy within and their relationship to the internal and external members, the public and the city.

Programme Materials Vaults Foundations Stonework Blockwork 113

Space

Area

Use: time of day

6am 12pm A1: Archive

A2: Shared Workspace/Studio B1: Exhibition/ Multi-functional room B2: Communal discussion zone B3: Counseling / Private boudoir

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B4: Public GenderNeutral toilets C1: Transient/ Permanent Hosusing C2: Communal Living Room C3: Shared Residents Study C4: Shared Laundry Facilities D1 : Emergency Housing D2 : Open Storage Space E1: Kitchen & Dining E2 : Extra Living Space E3: Lockers and Storage

114

6pm

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A B

Ci rc ul ati on

Programme

115

116

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Programme

The Proposed Programme The lower two floors serve as the public spaces of the house, accommodating the archive, shared workspace, the discussion zone and the gender-neutral toilets. The First floor is the domestic, which includes the permanent housing, communal living room and shared study and an additional floor is added as a mezzanine level above, which houses urgently inneed bodies. The space is walled by fixed retractable partitions that can be positioned to allow for more people to stay, or to act as an open space. The new roof is occupied as a continuation of the shared domestic, where the kitchen, dining and storage are positioned.

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Local Production

Source: Saliba, R. (1998). Domestic Architecture between Traditionvand Modernity. Beirut: OEA.

118

Imported Materials

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Mass-produced materials imported from Europe covered most components of domestic buildings. A 1928 advertisement in Lisan el Hal promotes cement, iron bars, and I beams for superstructure; marble and mosaic tiles for flooring; metal sheets and red tiles for roofing; sanitary equipment and fixtures; and appliances for central water heating. Source: Lisan el Hal. April 18, 1928, p.6

119

Semi-circular barrel vault

Segmented circular barrel vault

Equilateral vault

Barrel vault = tunnel space

Catenary vault

Two-centred circular pointed vault or lancet

Two-centred circular dropped vault

Barrel vault with intersecting vault = tunnel crossing

Horizontal elliptical vault

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Vertical elliptical vault

Barrel vault = tunnel space

Dropped vault

Basket handle vault

Vertical basket-handle vault

Original source: [Edited by author] http://egyptianarchitecture.com/JAEA2/JAEA2_Lightbody_ Monnier.php

Cross vault = square bay

Construction sequence of cross vault; temporary scaffolding is placed whilst the structural stone wall is being built, and then the arch is created using a prefabricated mould-like scaffolding. After 28 days, the stone and mortar dry enough to reach maximum structural capacity; and the vault acts like a secondary foundation for the floors above.

Stilted barrel intersecting normal vault = oblong bay

Cross vault = square bay

Structural load path of a cross vault 120

Vault

Barrel vault = tunnel space

Cross vault = square bay

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Barrel vault with intersecting vault = tunnel crossing

Understanding the engineering of a vault Barrel vault with intersecting vault = tunnel crossing

Stilted barrel intersecting normal vault = oblong bay

Source: Saliba, R. (1998). Domestic Architecture between Traditionvand Modernity. Beirut: OEA.

Stilted barrel intersecting normal vault = oblong bay

Structural behaviour of a vault under loads 121

122

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Vault

An opportunity

Caring for an Archive: The lower floor is vaulted while the upper floor has a roof frame of timber with red tiles. For vaulting, barrel or groin vaults are used, depending on the shape of the room. The vaults generally have a pointed cross-section; cloister or ribbed vaults are not used. Full basements are very rare, so the building has a half-basements are frequent; on hillsides the lower floor extends sometimes only halfway through the building, while the rear half or the upper floor rests directly on the ground. As the vault is north facing; therefore dark and cold, it can house the proposed archive. Where information and items of queer literature, legislative information and more can be stored to be shared by both the public and private occupants.

Storage environment • High temperatures and high relative humidity speed up chemical changes in from the materials stored in your archive. This speeds up degradation. ‘Relative humidity’ is the amount of moisture in the air at particular temperatures; measuring it tells us how moist the air is in a particular room or area. ETS 5: off the record

• Changes in temperature and relative humidity can also increase degradation of the materials stored in your archive. The greater the frequency and rate of change, the greater the speed of degradation. • A stable environment where the temperature and humidity does not change much is best. An attic space can reach extremes of temperature and relative humidity and the conditions change frequently. Attics cannot be easily monitored or accessed, so should not be used for storage. • When relative humidity is above 65%, mould can germinate and spread through collections causing extensive damage. • Paper and parchment should not be stored below 40% relative humidity for long periods of time as it can become dry and brittle. This increases the risk of damage through mis-handling. • Photographs and film benefit from storage at a lower relative humidity of 30-35%. • Always avoid natural light from outside in your storage area. All windows, rooflights and other glazing should be adequately covered. Ideally an archive store contains little or no glazing. • Keep lights on for a minimum amount of time, and only when staff are inside your storage area.

Archive storage rules source: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/ archives/archive-principles-and-practice-an-introduction-to-archives-for-nonarchivists.pdf

123

124

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Foundations

Air Drainage Technique

Air draining for foundations: Air draining offers some potential to control the dampness by encouraging evaporation at the lowest level. This allows the foundations to relieve some of the condensation they have endured during the years and give opportunity to re-stabilise the base of the building. By excavating a trench along the wall from outside, placing a PVC pipe with holes, then filling the trench with large stones at the bottom and gravel at the top.

Source: https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-spalling-1798631

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125

126

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Foundations

Air Drainage Technique

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127

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Stonework

Reworking the Stone

Strengthening the walls is done by reshaping straight surfaces with a saw blade and engraving with fine chisel and a hammer,depending on the finish of the adjacent original surface. In addition, fixing a reinforcement of galvanized mesh or synthetic fibreglass on the surface to be re-laid, with a mesh greater than 20mm improves the integrity of the stone before applying the finishing plaster. Finally, the new lime plaster is applied with the final coatings of paint.

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129

130

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Stonework

Strengthening the External Walls

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131

132

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Blockwork

Strengthening the Internal walls

Considering the 400 years of Turkish domination, there was only a limited influence of Turkish architecture into the domestic sphere. This is mainly due to geophysical differences. Since many parts of Turkey have a good supply of timber, the typical Turkish house consists of a timber frame structure, with, as a result, a proliferation of projecting parts: bay windows, wide eaves and an irregular plan. Therefore, the use of stone and concrete blocks allowed for more local sourcing and a better reaction to the climactic conditions. Weakened walls are supported by interior bracing cables connected from the outside by wooden planks and galvanised metal plates.

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Act VI: re(Design) Ultimately, design a shared platform that will question the normative whilst generating a safe space of inclusion within the institution and its affiliations.

Scaffolding, part 1 Patchwork Infill Additional Floor Bringing the Roof to Life Permanent Scaffolding, part 2 135

136

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conveyance of materials.

purpose-designed

format,

the

tapered

cylinders

are

produced

Scaffolding

from reinforced rubber with chain linkage for continuity. Overall

Part 1

unit lengths are generally 1100mm, providing an effective length of

1m. Hoppers and side entry units are made for special applications.

Temporary Scaffolding Whilst the builidng is being stripped, temporary scaffolding will be placed all around the structure in order to aid in holding up the remaining walls and to provide a safe working place for the stripping to occur. The patent scaffolding will be erected for the first three stages of intervention; structural care, building a new roof and infilling the damaged walls. These systems are based on independent scaffold formatting, in which the members are connected together using an integral locking device instead of conventional clips and couplers. They are easy to assemble and take down, and can occupy the simple layout of the building

Tubular Scaffolding Some basic fittings ~

A rubble chute will be attached to the scaffolding to ensure that stripping down the building remains safe; it is also used to ensure that all the scraps from the existing structure remain to be reused for the reconstruction.

Re-drawing the types of joints to understand their mechanisms: Double coupler

the local authority highways department for use of a skip on a

swing-over public thoroughfare. It will have to be illuminated at night and may

require a temporary traffic light system to regulate vehicles.

bolt

swivel joint

swing-over bolt swing-over bolt tube clamp

scaffold tube

tube clamp scaffold tube

Wrapover putlog coupler

Split joint pin

bolt

scaffold tube

swing-over bolt tube clamp split sections Putlog end

swing-over bolt

putlog tube

blade Reveal pin

scaffold tube Base plate scaffold tube over circular spigot welded to 150mm square plate

Source: Chudley, R. & Greeno, R. (2016). Building Construction Handbook. ed. 11. pg. 180 and pg. 224

circular nut with "podger" recess

face plate

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Swivel coupler

Ref. Highways Act † written permit (licence) must be obtained from

Patchwork Infill

The Damaged Façades

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North

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West

An Opportunity of re-Repair Precedent Study

The blast destroyed more than 5000 tons of window panels glass in and around Beirut. The mission here was to re-use the damaged glass in creating cups, glasses and jugs. Astley Castle, as per this example, started with a ruin. After eight centuries of continuous habitation, a fire had burned off its roofs, and three decades of freeze-thaw humbled its walls. Witherford Watson Mann have not restored, nor left it as a broken, romantic relic. The brickwork infill allowed for a soft touch of new and old, where the modern crisp edges of the brick touched upon the rough, hand cut edges of the original stonework; binding the eras together. “We pieced in new walls, lintels and roofs to buttress and tie the remnants. The fifteenth and seventeenth century rooms are left as open courts, rooms with ‘a fresco of clouds on their ceiling’. The house, for holiday rental, occupies the medieval core of the castle, with bedrooms below. The first floor hall is both grand and intimate, with its warm stone walls and large windows looking out to over the ancient landscape.”

From dust to object

Source: https://ggril.org/categories.php

These present opportunities on how to deal with a ruin and heritage whilst also creating something anew. Infilling as a technique of maintaining, but not recreating or romanticising the ruin - next; bringing it to the context of Beirut. ETS 5: off the record

Witherford Watson Mann: Astley Castle renovation, Astley, Warwickshire, 2007 2012 Image source: http://www.wwmarchitects.co.uk/projects/astley

In Lina Bo Bardi’s case, the rehabilitation of a former factory – a place of hard work, of suffering, a testament to human labour – and its transformation into a place of leisure, without erasing its history, makes a compelling strategy of redesign. The details of the old factory remain visible, such as the damaged walls, floors and roofs. The architectural language of the new buildings reinforced the manufacturing and industrial heritage of the complex. This language is present in the way the materials were used (and reused), specifically for the scale of the project. Bo Bardi drew up a comprehensive and inclusive programme, and spatial solutions that would provide accessibility (bringing the street and public life into the Centre), and attract interest from all age groups and social classes, without discrimination - a dream of civic life made real.

Lina Bo Bardi: SESC Pompeia, San Paulo, 1982 Image source: https://linabobarditogether.com/2012/08/03/the-making-of-sescpompeia-by-marcelo-ferraz/

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An integrated envelope: Project Name: Office and Exhibition Building Location: Osnabruck, Germany Client: DBU Architects: METARAUM Architects The building is described as a “laced house,” as the required space volume is realised with the smallest possible building envelope. The facade element on the exterior later consists of vertical slats made out of white fir with ‘breathing’ spaces in between intervals. Due to the vertical alignment, the intervals allow for air to keep the facade ventilated and healthy, and because of the wind seal of the facade panels, they remain dry and stable. The panels cover the building in a homogeneous wooden surface that interacts and relates back to the DBU site (nature).

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Structurally, the building has a fully closed south side, a closed upper area on the east facade (exhibition) and a mixture of solid walls and glazing on the west facade (offices). The balance between transparent and opaque elements allows the building to maximise the passive house initiative by maximising positive solar gains and limiting the negatives. The basic idea is to reduce the energy demand with a building envelope that is designed within the passive house standard. The air and wind tightness, thermal bridge free and optimal heat-insulated building envelope ensures that the heat remains within the building and cold air from outside is then beneficially used to naturally ventilate the spaces. Factors such as the orientation of the building, the intricate design and positioning of closed and transparent facade surfaces as well as the compactness of the building allow the design to reach it’s best energy balance, daylight autonomy and winter cold/summer heat protection. The envelope of the building also acts as the secondary structural element. The vertical (30mm) and horizontal (45mm) battens connect the prefabricated vertical slats with the primary structure (wall studs) of the building.

Access of natural ventilation between facade elements (vertical slats)

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East/West Facade Wall: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Precedent study: METARAUM Architects

White fir vertical slats 35/70mm Horizontal battens 45mm Vertical battens 30mm Diffusion-open-weather tight membrane Wood-fibre insulation 80mm Hemp fibre insulation/timber studs 220mm OSB board with airtight joints 18mm Hemp fibre insulation/timber studs 50mm Plasterboard 12.5mm Mineral fibre acoustic insulation 40mm White fir three-ply board 19mm Structural timber truss and support

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*Axo’s and drawings re-made by author Image source: https://www.metaraum.de

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Patchwork Infill

Elements

Elements: REpurposed When the stripping is complete, fragments of thee building, both intact and damaged can be re-used to employ the new passivehaus façade. The original windows, shutters and woodwork can be re-employed for the new strategy.

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The new structure on the north/west infill is a lightweight steel frame, internally clad with operable windows to allow for natural ventilation during the summer. The vertical and horizontal slats, and the repurposed shutters and windows are operable to allow for additional control of light and air, they are hung by horizontal battens that are fixed on the horizontal grid of each unit, and vertical battens behind. Where the patchwork is not met with windows, woodfibre insulation, OSB boards, and two layers of plasterboards clad the internal linings for the join between wall and floor.

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Patchwork Infill

Proposed North Facade

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Patchwork Infill

Proposed West Façade: Detail

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Suspended City: L’Aquila after the earthquake

A permenant support The photographs conjure up images of surgery: prostheses, braces and splints stabilize the body of the city, but while the operations have been a technical success, the patient shows no signs of life. The picture of L’Aquila presented is not just a record of the catastrophe of the earthquake and its aftermath, but an image that at a distance of years has become exemplary of some decisive changes underway in the whole of European and Western culture. What are brought into focus in this book are the shift in political paradigms and the nature of government action, the febrile relationship of culture with history and the need to restore the experience of the community and urban living to its central role as a forge of identity.

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The photographs taken by Michele Nastasi of L’Aquila after the earthquake lay the city bare as a place which it has become impossible to live: a deserted and surreal landscape, choked with structures shoring up the buildings and fixing the city in a state of suspension without any time limit. Three hundred and eight people died in the earthquake that struck L’Aquila on 6 April 2009, while 70,000 were evacuated and over eighty for cent of the buildings in the historic centre were severely damaged; the city’s heart, much of it impassable, was declared a ‘Red Zone’ and closed off to everyone.

Source: https://www.michelenastasi.com/portfolio/suspended-city/

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Wall /Floor

Anchoring the new floor Interventions to improve the connections of wall to floor, achieved by the insertion of ties, confining rings, bolts and steel anchor plates. Also, by adding a new timber beam that is bolted onto the old, the connection from wall to floor will be strengthened, allowing for normal loads to take part.

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Interventions

Respecting the Old By understanding the construction logic of the traditional stone house in Beirut, the use of heavy load-bearing stone and heavy materials at the bottom of the structure allows for an easier transfer of loads; which should be maintained in order to prolong the lifespan of the building. The new roof remains as wood, but takes on a new shapes whilst still respecting the hipped roof truss structure (angled between 30 and 35 degrees).

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Areas of stone (m2): External façade: East: 1 - 107.4 South: 2 - 151.3 3 - 20.2 4 - 59.3 5 - 20.2 6 - 48.1 West: 7 - 64.6 8 - 19.9 9 - 43.9 North: 10 - 335.9 11 (vaulted walls below garden) - 58.8 Stone area total = 929.6 m2 150

Additional Floor

Calculating the Dead Load of the Stone

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Additional Floor Diagrams

~ 300 mm Ramle stone

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~ 10 mm Sandstone/Lime /Cement mortar

1 m2 area of stone and mortar: 89% stone : 11 % mortar averages on stone construction

Semi-Private

Semi-Public

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Additional Floor

Calculating the Possibilities

Testing a temporary and permanent additional floor structure. The floor to be added only takes up about 40% of the first floor and is to be lifted to accommodate more emergency housing, As I would have preferred to have a more temporal element instead of adding a new substructure; I though of using two methods for the additional level. The temporary solution would eventually result to buckling or breaking of the stone and/or secondary structure that holds the floor. A new floor can be placed by removing the stone and adding a new joist, that can then hold the new floor structure.

Volume: Thickness of exterior walls = ~ 300 mm (0.3m) 827.344 x 0.3 = 248.12 m3 102.256 x 0.3 = 30.68 m3 Self weight/Dead load: Stone: 248.12 x 25.6 = 6353.9 kN Mortar: 30.68 x 20.4 = 625.9 kN Total dead load of exterior walls = 6979.8 kN = 697,980 kg x factor of safety (1.35) = 9422.7 kN = 942,270 kg Thermal conductivity of stone =1.8 W/m.K (high effectiveness) Heat capacity = 1000 J/K Capacity

Self weight (SW): x 1.35 Finishes: x 1.35 Live loads: x 1.5 Self weight Finishes = 0.5 kN/m2 Live load = 1.5 kN/m2 Live load for Museum / Warehouse = 4.0 kN/m2 of primary structure: L1 = V x P Where M = V x P M = Mass of material (weight) P = Density of material V = Volume of material Densities of materials: Limestone: 25.6 kN/m3 Sandstone: 23.5 kN/m3 Sandstone/Lime/Cement mortar: 20.4 kN/m3 Mortar: Cement : Lime : Sandstone = 1 : 1 : 6 Hollow cement bricks: 19 - 21 kN/m3 Poplar wood: 4.5 kN/m3 Stone : Mortar = 89% : 11% 827.344 m2 : 102.256 m2

Area of stone X capacity of stone = N m2 x N/m2

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Factors of safety:

Gross Floor Areas: Below ground floor = 190 m2 Ground floor = 248 m2 First floor = 248 m2 (New) Mezzanine second floor = 96.5 m2 (New) Roof (third) floor = 179 m2 Finishes: Below ground floor = 95 k/N Ground floor = 124 k/N First floor = 124 k/N (New) Mezzanine second floor = 48.25 k/N (New) Roof (third) floor = 89.5 k/N Live Loads: Below ground floor = 285 k/N / as archive = 760 k/N Ground floor = 372 k/N First floor = 372 k/N (New) Mezzanine second floor = 144.75 k/N (New) Roof (third) floor = 268.5 k/N ULS = Dead loads + Finished + Live loads = 2398 k/N RESULT; The load bearing masonry can still take on the weight of an additional floor

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Demolition

Opening up the space

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Wall Column As the proposed ground floor is to be shifted to a open gallery space, the internal walls are to be removed to allow for an open plan. In order to do so, columns can be added. Although the span is only 9.7 m, this can allow for a column in the middle of the space, but due to the additional loads to be introduced, two columns on each side of the entrance are to be placed. Calculating the necessary size of the new concrete columns: Fc = A x fs Concrete column rule: Size of column = height / 15 = 6000/15 = 400 mm Result: 400 by 400 mm columns to be introduced on the ground floor gallery space. 155

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Temporary roofing installed on top of old houses in Beirut.

Tent Currently, damaged roofs on heritage buildings in Beirut are being rebuilt using a temporary tent-like structure. The proposed roof is to be occupied as a continuation of the shared domestic, where the kitchen, dining and storage are positioned. Using the hipped roof truss structure (angled between 30 and 35 degrees), the new roof can be restored using the same material (wood) for structure, whilst giving a cladding material modernises the structure and allows the subtle intervention to sit on top of the heavy stone walls.

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Bringing the Roof to Life

Precedent and Original Structure

Extending programme to the roof Three houses built in the early twentieth century share a plot in a heterogeneous neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The upper house of the set presents the possibility of being extended, finding above itself the space to house programs related to leisure activities in contact with the air, the sun, and the sky. An accumulation of existing flat roofs at different heights becomes the floor for the new construction, distributing a series of indoor and outdoor areas that are connected together. An envelope conformed by opaque, transparent and permeable elements covers the old house in all its extension, opening new possibilities of relationship with the environment. Faiden’s manifestation of the new roof sheds light on how a light-weight structure of the new roof can sit delicately above the existing heritage structure. The combination between the heavy and the light creates a subtle gesture between the old and the new; the steel frame structure adds a new level of programme whilst allowing new environmental considerations to occur. The standard rules: A King, Queen and Combination post.

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Adamo Faiden: Casa Blas, Buenos Aires, 2015 Source: https://www.adamo-faiden.com/blas-house/

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Bringing the Roof to Life

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Designing a Modular System

Rhythm The new roof truss proposes one at a similar rhythm to that of 2 by 2m scaffolding. On the north front façade, the elements will be aligned and create a homogeneous look, one that is as subtle as the traditional house. It will also be clad with brick red zinc in order to mimic the original red tiles whilst also being more durable and long lasting, as well as more lightweight for the structure.

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Bringing the Roof to Life

Materiality

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A new modern roof tile: Zinc

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Bringing the Roof to Life

Process

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Permanent Scaffolding

Part 2

Product Specifications: Rigid Open Area 70% Weight: 5.1 kg / m2 Nominal Thickness: 5 mm Max. width: 2565 mm (Fits into 2x2m grid of the scaffolding) System Components Ceiling Clip System Flat & angle Flats with clevis U-binding frame Applications Ceilings Mesh Partitions

A controlled venue Officee KGDVS designed the centres for Traditional Music in Bahrain using a similar concept of concealment. The entire building is covered by a seamless steel mesh, providing cover from the harsh desert sun, and transforming the buildings into enigmatic, ‘veiled’ objects, protruding from the dense Bahraini urban maze. When the building is in use, the veil is lifted to allow passers-by a glimpse of the performances inside.

Office KGDVS: Centres for Traditional Music, Bahrain, 2012 - 2018 Source: http://officekgdvs.com/projects/#office-126

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It initially serves as a frame for structural repair, and then deals with new proposed informal circulation. It mimics the function of the varenda, wrapping around the existing structure, it’s accessible from the ground floor balcony and the garden. Mesh curtains can then be fitted onto the grid, where the view into and out of the house can be controlled.

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Permanent Scaffolding Circulation

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Permanent Scaffolding

Structure

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An extended balcony The permanent scaffolding takes on the same structure as the temporary, but reduces the height to allow for unobstructed views out of the house. The new scaffolding mainly covers the ground floor area, which serves as the public house - a space of communal discussion and information. The circulation space allows for informal zones of discussion and private programme. Accessed through the garden or the ground floor balcony, it serves as a extended balcony whilst also holding the structure for the mesh curtains. Horizontal members are at 625 mm and 1100 mm high for additional safety on walkable platforms, 1000 mm wide steel staircase for extended balcony at a 166.67 mm rise, stainless steel handrails on both sides of stairs at 1100 mm high. Platforms on horizontal members, transom or putlog at 2000 mm centres

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Permanent Scaffolding Detail

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Proposing a new streetscape:

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The proposed elevation deals with the multiple elements of restoration; infilling the destroyed structures, introducing a scaffolding tactic that allows for both a new informal circulation space outside, whilst also allowing the programme to be hidden from the public when needed by mesh curtains that drape over the scaffolding when needed. The new roof is brought to life whilst still respecting the traditions that define a heritage building. The roof also mimics the rythim and language of the permanent scaffolding, allowed for two metre bays to have a homogeneous impact. Rue Gourad; the steep terrain creates a hill-like moment, where only the top floor, which acts as a house is seen from the street. The new streetscape, where some elements remain in ruins, deals with ways the building can be accessed and seen by the public.

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Implicit / Explicit

We decide

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Conclusion

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Conclusion

How can acts of restoration be utilised and manipulated on ruins in Beirut in order to accommodate new queer spaces? The Environmental and Technical Studies (ETS 5) dealt with the duality of heritage restoration and the re-design of (new) queer spaces. Whilst legislations for heritage structures have not been updated since 1933, the project tackles the re-production (maintenance) of original Bourgeoisie houses in Beirut and production of queer spaces. I presented the document as a manual that should be understood as the first publication from the institution ‘Bayt Akhar’; a manual that aims to deal with the urban fabric of Beirut, its heritage structures and its queer bodies. From the start, the lack of laws protecting heritage buildings means that as private individuals, we must act upon ourselves in order to maintain the language of our traditional architecture, and as proven, one that acts greatly within the climate of Lebanon. The queer investigation, including informal conversations I had with 24 queer folks whilst visiting Beirut, allowed me to understand the spatial requirements for a queer body. One that is physically safe, implicit in its function, yet explicit in its manner. The extrapolated sites proved to be many, many of which this manual can be repeated on in order to revitalise the ruin. It also presented potential sites of additional interventions, small scale productions that could potentially allow the internal spaces of the house to be explored in public, ellipticity. ETS 5: off the record

The survey proved helpful in understand the language of the chosen building, as well be able to draw out the GAs and their fragments. The 3D geometry provided by the 3D scans of the building helped understand the current state (post-blast) of the structure, and the elements of stripping that should be utilised. The environmental analysis proved the urgency of care, with rainfall, humidity and sun exposure, the ruins will be forced to decay faster than usual, meaning that the immediate structural care, though simple, must be completed before decay. The structural repairs presented, including the vaults, foundations, blockwork, stonework and floor structures, were extremely helpful in conveying the ways in which the vernacular and technology come hand in hand. The work remains very hands on, focusing on hand tools, and does not require much machinery; yet the new reinforced structures will extend the life span of the structure. Lastly, I explored techniques that I thought had a good balance between heritage restoration and queer theory/space making. The techniques included scaffolding (in 2 parts), a patchwork infill system, an additional floor and a new functional roof space. The details I produced helped me understand the structure of the building more, but also realise potential ways of maximising the structure, the space, lighting and natural ventilation. Post-ETS; I would now like to deal with the internal spaces, re-using the existing rooms and shifting their use. I aim to continue the re-use of materials for interior fittings and furniture; using the original woodwork from the wooden roof trusses to make furniture that can also be used as a space divider. Taking the destroyed marble and concrete tiles and re-purposing them into terrazzo tiles for the new floors on the north-west part of the building. The permanent scaffolding can also be reworked to accommodate not only a circulation space, but also functional activities that act like terraces; this can be done by potentially making the structure wider in some areas to create hidden alcoves.

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off the record - Environmental and Technical Thesis (ETS 5)

Articles inside

Introduction

Conclusion

Act III: Survey - Part 1

Act II: Extract