rana haddad x architecture association . lecture . london | uk . 2017

Beirut is a schizophrenic city, filled with various narratives incorporating a long history of conflict, destruction, construction, and reconstruction. 

The 15-year civil war (1975-1990) still holds repercussions that continuously manifest themselves in our everyday lives.

Its historical centre, Beirut Central District (BCD), has been undergoing a face-lift operation to efface all its past, removing all previous social existence on the scale of the BCD.

No signs of low-income users are allowed within the gated sterilized BCD limits, while beyond its boundaries the streets are increasingly congested with beggars as a result of the ever-increasing numbers of Syrian refugees entering the country, whether by legal or illegal means.

“The situation is complicated by the fact that, less than ever does the mere reflection of reality, reveals anything about reality.”

Susan Sonders