Situated on one of the most prominent coastal plots along Beirut’s Corniche, the 150m tall crystalline volume establishes its footprint as a landmark within the heart of the city.  

The pure geometric forms of the towers are derived from the 100m long site, which allow for two slender blades to materialize. The residential tower soars above the neighboring buildings, and creates a distant link to the towers along the other end of the corniche, while the furnished apartments respect the urban scale of the surrounding context.  Both structures are joined at the base by a glazed podium.  

An urban cut at the top of the residential tower, where the penthouse units are found, becomes the signature of the building.  When lit at night, it serves as a beacon for the tower and establishes a dialogue with the lighthouse across the waterfront.

The towers offer maximal internal flexibility while ensuring spectacular sea views from every room.  All noble functions are placed on the North, East, and West facades, while circulation and secondary functions are placed on the Southern façade. 

The first two floors of both towers, which are situated on top of the podium, house duplex apartments with their own private landscaped terrace.  

From the 3rd to the 20th floor of the residential tower, 300m2 simplex and duplex apartments are arranged adjacently to provide a variety of units in the 460 sqm floor plate. The next eight floors are full floor simplexes, followed by a penthouse duplex, and a penthouse triplex which has private access to a spectacular rooftop terrace with an infinity pool.  

As for the furnished apartments, the 345 sqm floor plate can easily be subdivided into a numerous options of units, ranging from 60sqm studios, to 142sqm simplexes and 285 sqm duplexes.  The last floor is reserved for a penthouse duplex, which also has access its own private rooftop terrace and pool.

The skin on the North façade of both buildings acts as a reflective sheet which changes throughout the day, embracing the vast richness of colors that the Mediterranean sky offers.  Vertical dichroic colored glazed fins scattered along the façade also refract their individual hues, reviving the importance of the color palette that was once present in the vernacular architecture of the 1960’s.  

The intricate curtain wall system further provides the flexibility to open large spans of glazing, allowing a portion of the units to be completely open to the Mediterranean Sea. The East, South, and West facades retain the glazed look, but have a more opaque treatment in order to create privacy and protect against the prominent sunlight.


areas:
34 floors 26 636 m²
2 basements 6 134 m²

architecture: nabil gholam architects
interior :nabil gholam architects
structural design: Code
electro-mechanical design: Code
vertical transportation: Steve Kinamman & Associates LLC
wind tunnel studies: RWDI
traffic consultancy: SETS
technical control: Socotec
3D images: nabil gholam architects