GEORGE NABA — PORTFOLIO — 2024

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO

GEORGE NABA . SELECTED WORKS .

SPRING 2024 1

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GEORGE NABA

M.Arch

M.A. in History and Heritage Management

E-mail: gnaba.arch@gmail.com

Phone 1: 00 961 71 443 814

Phone 2: 00 33 (0) 6 24 63 07 28

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/george-naba-221b65260/

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INTRODUCTION

As a highly skilled and versatile architect, historian, and cultural heritage management specialist, I hold a Bachelor of Architecture and a Master of Architecture from the prestigious Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (Alba, University of Balamand), earned through sustained effort and unwavering dedication. Additionally, in 2018, I received an Erasmus+ scholarship and research grant to pursue a Master’s in the History of Techniques and Cultural Heritage Management (TPTI Masters Degree) through a joint program with Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Università Degli Studi di Padova, and Universidade de Évora. Through this program, I was able to conduct research on earthen architecture and vernacular designs in Lebanon. Having honed my skills and expertise working as an architect in Beirut for the past four years, combining independent projects to several collaborations with well-renowned Lebanese firms, I am, now, eager to apply my capabilities in a collaborative team environment and participate in meaningful and impactful architecture projects.

01 Rock-bottom House Lebanese Arch-Hub UNDP Headquarters RIFTSTONE BUILDING 02 03 04 TABLE OF CONTENTS Professional | 2023 Academic | 2022 Academic | 2018 Professional| 2024

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Intent: Professional

ROCK-BOTTOM HOUSE

Secondary Residence

Recipient: Mr. & Mrs. Fayad

Type: Residential

Location: Aamatour, Lebanon

Year: 2023—Unbuilt

"Founded on the primordial rock, the rural mountain dwelling (in Lebanon) participates in the very essence of the Landscape... Built in keeping with the retaining walls of the terraced fields, this architecture of stone with its simple vaults and thick walls is deeply anchored in rock and land."

— Jacques Liger-Bellaire, Dwelling in Lebanon, 1965

Located on the farming terraces of Mount Lebanon’s western flank in the historical hills of El-Chouf, Rock-Bottom House is a modest secondary residence that serves both as a weekend getaway and summer residence. This dwelling is designed to accommodate a semi-retired couple and provide ample outdoor living space for hosting friends and family gatherings.

This residence explores a range of contrasts through the use of opposing concepts such as anchored and floating volumes, bearer and borne structures, concealed and revealed elements, earthly and industrial materials, indoor and outdoor living spaces... These opposing concepts are harmoniously blended to create a structure that is rooted in its cultural and geographical surroundings while allowing the project to stand-out as a product of its day and age.

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The project site, located in the village of Aamatour, is a 2151 sqm agricultural land with a slope of up to 50%. Zoning laws impose strict restrictions on the property, including a maximum facade height of 5 meters (between the lowest uncovered ground level and the top of the last slab), and a maximum Soil Occupancy Coefficient (SOC) and Soil Use Coefficient (SUC) of 5%. In order to meet the clients’ needs for indoor space and flexibility while abiding by these legal and physical constraints, the optimal solution was to build a two-story building, composed of a ground floor and a sub-basement dug 90 cm below the nominal ground level. This configuration prevents the overlapping surfaces from being accounted for twice in the SOC.

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The final design includes a 107 sqm sub-basement dwelling integrated into the farming terraces, as well as a 63 sqm ground floor studio with a 360° overhanging deck, covering the entrance to the lower levels. The deck is equipped with wooden shading panels and a mechanically adjustable pergola, giving the upper level its box-like appearance and increasing its insolation and pluviometric flexibility.

SITE PLAN 9

A- Wooden Shading Panels [90x330 cm]

B- Mechanically adjustable pergola [steel frame]

C- South oriented solar panels [steel frame]

D- Independent studio with 360° deck [cast-place concrete structure]

E- Northern courtyard: outdoor dining/living area

F- Main dwelling [dry stone masonry structure]

E-Southern courtyard: Main dwelling’s entrance

EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC VIEW

A B C D E F G

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SUB-BASEMENT FLOOR PLAN (top) GROUND FLOOR PLAN (bottom) – SCALE: 1/200

SECTION A (top) SECTION C (bottom) – SCALE: 1/200

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SECTION B (top) SECTION D (bottom) – SCALE: 1/200

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LEBANESE ARCH-HUB

Architectural Heritage & Innovation Center

Intent: Academic

Recipient: M.Arch, Thesis Project

Type: Cultural and Business

Location: Beirut, Lebanon

Year: 2022

"As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown."

— Norman Foster, TEDTalk, 2007

The Lebanese Arch-Hub (L.A.H.) is a bridge between tradition and innovation, created to honor Lebanon’s diverse built heritage and encourage the growth of new ideas in the field of architecture. Located on Damascus Street, a major cultural axis in Beirut, L.A.H. consists of three components: a cultural center for exploring and learning about Lebanon’s architectural history, an innovation center for young architects to develop and bring their visions to fruition, and an urban public space for designers, artists, engineers, and citizens to come together, spend time, and exchange ideas. Whether exploring Lebanon’s past, discussing its present, or envisioning its future, the L.A.H. is a vital space for all those interested in the built environment.

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THE CULTURAL CENTER IS SPREADOUT WITH ARCHAIC STRUCTURES ALLOWING FOR A PARK TO DEVELOP

THE INNOVATION CENTER AS AN COMPACT ENTITY HOVERING OVER THE CULTURAL CENTER

VERTICAL CIRCULATION EXTENDS TO INSURE A VISUAL AND PHYSICAL CONNECTION

THE LEBANESE ARCH-HUB IS THUS PRESENTED AS A HYBRID WITH CONTRASTED ELEMENTS

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The project’s three-fold configuration is reflected in its design, structure, and materials. The cultural center is made up of semi-detached structures that are inspired by traditional Lebanese forms and are made of rammed concrete. The thick walls with their texture’s horizontal emphasis and its warm color pigmentation are reminiscent of traditional Lebanese stone structures’ aesthetics. The innovation center is a transparent glass monolith with a lightweight steel frame structure and double-skinned glazed facade, and is designed to convey a sense of openness and lightness. This configuration allows for an urban park to fill the negative spaces on the bottom floors and features an outdoor coffee bar and activity space on the pilotis level.

EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC VIEW

INNOVATION CENTER

CULTURAL CENTER

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RETAIL

START-UP INCUBATOR

ARCHIVE FACILITY

RESEARCH HALL

PILOTIS LEVEL

EXHIBITION HALL

MULTIPURPOSE HALL

AUDITORIUM

SECTION A – SCALE: 1/500

PARKING PARKING PARKING

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SUMMER CONFIGURATION

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WINTER CONFIGURATION

The innovation center’s doubleskin facade consists of a combination of curtain glass and aluminum composite panels (A.C.P.) on the inside, and pivotable silk-screen tempered glass on the outermost layer, separated by a 60 cm wide technical catwalk. This facade system performs a dual function in the project’s architecture, optimizing thermal and insulation control while giving the horizontal block a uniform aesthetic.

Designed with Beirut’s fluctuating Mediterranean climate in mind, the outer skin is equipped with a pivoting mechanism that traps heat and maximizes sun exposure during the colder seasons, or allows for wind flow and provides shading during the warmer periods. This dynamic feature helps to regulate the temperature and light inside the building, ensuring a comfortable and energy-efficient environment.

23 ACADEMIC | LEBANESE ARCH-HUB

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. FOYER AUDITORIUM CONTROL ROOM WORKSHOP RESTAURANT KITCHEN TICKETING

GIFT SHOP TECHNICAL

L0 FLOOR PLAN – SCALE: 1/500 24

EXHIBITION HALL

SPACE E.D.L ROOM ELECTRICAL ROOM

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. LOBBY KITCHENETTE RETAIL OFFICE SERVICE HALLWAY CO-WORKING BREAK ROOM MEETING ROOM GROUP WORK STARTUP OFFICE

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L6 FLOOR PLAN (left) L7, L8 & L9 FLOOR PLAN (right) – SCALE: 1/500

SECTION B – SCALE: 1/500 26

SECTION C – SCALE: 1/500 27

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Intent: Academic

A-SQUARED BUILDING UNDP HEADQUARTERS

Recipient: M.Arch, Tender Documentation Studio

Type: Civic, Business

Location: Dbayeh, Lebanon

Year: 2018

“You’re so square, baby, I don’t care.”

— Elvis Presley, Baby I don’t care, 1959

With security as a top priority in the design of an international agency’s headquarters, this project was created to house the United Nations Development Programme’s offices in Lebanon. The simplicity of the architecture reflects the project’s brief. Ten identical office spaces, each containing different departments of the agency, are located within a five squared floors resting a double-height concrete plinth. The plinth also houses the project’s logistical and public functions.

As part of the curriculum’s construction documentation studio, the project required a highly detailed set of execution drawings, as well as electrical, mechanical, structural, and fire safety documentation.

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PARKING ACCESS SECURITY CHECKPOINT

TECHNICAL AREA

CANTEEN

VERTICAL CIRCULATION

RECEPTION HALL

AUDITORIUM

FOYER GARDEN

GROUND FLOOR ISOMETRIC VIEW 32

TYPICAL FLOOR PLAN – SCALE: 1/300 33

ACADEMIC | MASTERS 34

SECTION A – SCALE: 1/300 35

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Intent: Professional

RIFTSONE BUILDING

28, Mecca Road, Office Building

Recipient: Mr. Ahmad Attiya

Type: Office building

Location: Riyadh, KSA

Year: 2024-In Progress

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.”

Much like Michelangelo chiseling away at a bulky marble block to unveil the statue of David, the project’s intention was to sculpt the rigid overwhelming volume available by construction law’s massing, to reveal its innate beauty. The design aims to inspire and uplift, transforming environments into works of art that resonate with those who experience them, allowing for interaction and collaboration through a shared central space.

— Michelangelo

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