Regrowth - ARCH 403

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Fifth Year Architecture Studio Project Site: Beirut, Lebanon Program Type: Memorial Architecture FAll 2020 Team: Xingda Guo, Tuyen Le, Alice Tosi

On August 4th, 2020, an explosion destroyed the port of Beirut, Lebanon. It was caused by the ignition of tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate which the government had neglected for years despite repeated warnings of the dangerous material's presence in the port. Food insecurity has become an even greater problem following the explosion, as Lebanon relies on imports for 90% of its grain, which it cannot receive with its port destroyed.

In the midst of the ashes and wreckage, the surviving half of the port's grain silos is the last structure left standing. The grains they contained absorbed the shock of the explosion, sparing the city beyond from the brunt of the blast. The silos’ significance to the country’s subsidence along with its newfound role of protector elevate them to the status of new monument, making them the anchor point for the restoration of the Port of Beirut.

Our concept of New monumentality envisions a monument that transcends its commemorative function. Rather than a place for pure remembrance, it takes an active role in providing for the people and enacting change.

Applying this concept to our site, we are not only building a memorial to grieve but rather taking direct action to address the emotional trauma and food insecurity the Lebanese face.Our two core programs are a series of sensory healing environments engaging the senses of touch, hearing, sight, smell, and taste, and a food production hub incorporating vertical farms, openair markets, and an efficient distribution system. This multi-faceted memorial site symbolizes the transition from the pre-explosion regime to an undertaking for the people.

The human, material, and cultural devastation in Beirut has caused a shockwave through Lebanon. By reimagining the definition of monumentality, we uncover the possibility of a multifaceted memorial which provides for the ones who suffered the trauma of the explosion. While designed for Beirut, Regrowth's purpose is universal, and its doors are open for anyone in need of grieving and healing.

Timeline Turmoil preceding the explosion and projected regrowth.

Site Over 120,000 lives were lost in the civil war, and over 200 were lost in the explosion.

Narrative Protests against an ineffective and corrupt government.

The Lebanese desire true change — change that will lead to a brighter future.

Program Healing sensory environments for emotional trauma and vertical farms to fight food insecurity.

Concept model Beirut will rebuild like a plant growing from the wreckage.

hearing

sight

taste

smell

touch

Concept renders Healing through the five senses.

Concept I Old monumentality, new monumentality and how we achieve the latter.

Concept II Roots grow outwards from the old silo ruins, bringing new growth throughout our site.

Program diagram The restoration of the Port’s functions via vertical farming and the implementation of healing sensory spaces are the top elements of our hierarchy.These functions overlap and intertwine to create a cohesive story.

Site approach Creation of a hybrid grid and expansion on Beirut’s public transport system to include our site.

Massing Silo, landscape, path and underground systems.

Massing Composition of ideas.The programs are distributed above and below ground.

silos

pedestrian landscape

root systems and trolley route

Epicenter silo Memorial and drop-off point.

Touch and hearing silos Touch:Tranquil underwater passageways Hearing:Sound-projecting and sound-trapping silos for processing emotions.

Sight silos Choice between a narrow pathway and a cavernous space. Surreal landscapes projected onto the interior surfaces.

Smell silos Luscious hanging gardens enveloping whimsical platforms.

Landscape Undulating public park containing the memorialized ruins of the port’s former warehouses.

Taste silos Vertical farms connected by an efficient underground conveyor belt system which prepares produce for drone delivery.

Skywalks Connect the healing sensory environments to the landscape and markets.

The Visitor Lebanese descent Returns to her homeland Reconnects to her grandmother’s memory

The Local Native to Beirut Works for the vertical farm

Healing journey Two potential paths through the site in the year 2050.

Section Where the story unfolds...

The visitor’s journey begins east of the port, where she waits for the trolley that will bring her to the site.

As dawn breaks, the trolley departs, passing under the first set of memorial ruins in direction of the monument beyond.

Inside the epicenter, the atmosphere is somber and contemplative. At the touch of a hand, one of the 120,000 names of the victims of the August 4th explosion and the Lebanese Civil war before it can be heard.

The visitor touches the wall and she hears a whisper of her grandmother's name. A white glow remains where her hand was, joining the traces of other visitors' touch.

From the epicenter, she dives into the crater's waters and finds her way into a touch silo. Like a return to the womb, she is enveloped by the water's comforting embrace and feels distant from the concerns above the surface.

The crater is protected from the maritime traffic, creating a safe environment for visitors like her and the aquatic wildlife.

The visitor emerges from the water into a hearing silo, where the structure meets the water. Soft echoes fill the space. The weight of the events this place memorializes catches up to her and she lets out a cry. In the privacy of this sound-trapping chamber, she screams, lets out all her grief, and finally feels relief and a calm silence in her heart.

Feeling lighter, she walks out onto the floating walkway connecting the silos. Coming from the openings of the sound-enhancing silos, she hears laughter and singing.

A light comes from the entrance at the end of the path - her next destination.

She discovers a cavernous space whose walls come to life with vibrant projections showing Lebanon's most beautiful sites. The cedar forests, the Baalbek ruins, the Baatara gorge waterfalls, and Mount Lebanon! Growing up, the news and media would only report on the country's devastation and turmoil - she had rarely seen this beautiful side to Lebanon.

The next environment she traverses is also bright and colorful, but in a gentler way. It's a luscious hanging garden filled with pleasant aromas.

After so much stimulus and the overwhelming emotions of the previous spaces, she slows down and takes a deep breath, enjoying the wondrous scents of the herbs and flowers that drape around her. She lies down and relaxes in the warmth of the sunlight coming in from the atrium's skylight.

On the local’s side, he begins his journey west of the monument. This person has always lived in Beirut and is well acquainted with the struggles the city has faced. He works for the vertical farms, contributing to the operation's smooth functioning.

He begins his day at dawn, eager to tend to today's harvest and connect with the amazing people who come to the site day to day.

Heading towards the cluster of taste silos, he looks up at the delivery drones buzzing overhead - a sign of food security - and he marvels at how far the port has come since the tragedy 30 years ago.

With his employee clearance, the local takes the elevator to go straight to the higher farm levels.

As the visitor ponders where to go next, the Local is ending his shift. They cross paths at the restored old silos. He offers to guide her through the rest of the visit, eager to answer any questions she may have and make a new connection.

The view from the skywalk outside the silos is breathtaking. From there, they can see the memorial ruins. Once a wound on the site, they are now gathering places for connection, growth, and healing. Vendors and patrons are conversing and plants are blooming. The place is teeming with life.

From the skywalk, they enter the public floors of the vertical farms, where people can harvest to their need, or for the simple act of tasting. The Visitor tries a strawberry. Its juiciness and delicious taste evoke a nostalgic comfort.

The walkway finally leads the pair back to ground level, at the shimmering reflection pool at the base of the building. As an ode to where the grain once was spilled, there is now a memorial waterfall cascades down the silos and into the crater...

Taking in the beauty of this edifice at sunset, they reflect on this monument: the balance of remembrance and proactiveness it embodies, the growth and productivity it houses, and the humanitarian message it carries.