Al Asfourieh was the first mental health asylum of it its kind in the Middle East, dating all the way back to 1989. The site consisted of an 80,000 m2 lush land full of trees and birds, and over 46 buildings providing mental health care and residence for its patients.
Currently, only 3 buildings remain on the site, 2 administrative buildings and the Webster House. The selected portion of the site includes the latter, which will serve as a gateway to the project .
Concept
"Digging into the Layers of the Psyche"
Based on Carl Jung’s model of the psyche, depression can be attributed to conflicts between one’s conscious and personal unconscious. The goal is to invite the user to delve into the 3 layers of their “self” in an attempt to restore balance to the psyche.
From each layer we can extract a value: knowledge, introspection, and community.
The historic building is transformed into a mental health awareness exhibit and lecture hall. Parts of the building are completely removed. The historic value of the space is preserved and is still evident in the elements of the building: the arcades, weathered timber beams, and the natural stone cladding...
Elevation and Material Selection
CINEMA CITY
Location: Jbeil, Lebanon
Semester IX 2023
Area: 41, 511 sqm
Cinema City is a large filming complex that hosts different types of filming for TV and Film, in both indoor and outdoor settings, which includes, but is not limited to: filming studios, postproduction labs, outdoor city locations, natural locations, as well as production design labs...
“Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat” was shot in 1895 by Lumiere brothers, with a cinematographe. The silent short film depicts a train pulling into a train station in the French coastal town of La Ciotat, an image that appeared so shocking to the viewers at the time. The project attempts to explore the dynamic between reality (behind the screen) and the audience’s perception (infront of the screen). The screen is a portal. This is translated in the distribution of spaces and the flow of circulation. The elements that seperate the audience from the crew, and those common elements that speak the language of both users.
SITE PLAN
Create a dent in the topography, that penetrates into the mountain, and creates a large central cavity, representing the portal. A
Insert Wing 1 into the cavity. This is the main filming and production zone, and it is a representation of the “behind the screen” process.
Wing 2 includes the largest audio visual facilities, & post production labs. It is cantilevered and protrudes outwards towards the city.
Connect the two wings with a bridge, which will close the portal and draw the user into the project towards the rest of Jbeil.
ZONING
A. Water Tower
B. Visitor Zone
C. Post-production Zone
D. Offices
E. Atrium
F. Production Zone/ green screen room
H. Outdoor backdrops
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
CIRCULATION
MEMORIAL MUSEUM
Location: Beirut Port, Lebanon
Semester VI, 2022
Abstract
On August 4th, 2020, one of the largest nonnuclear explosions in history shredded through Beirut and across Lebanon, leaving behind drastic losses. The stories of those lost, those who endured, and the story of Beirut port must be told.
The museum will take the user on a journey representing the 3 main stages of the event. In the final stage, the scene of the explosion is framed on the site itself, overlooking the silos and the crater, to be imprinted in our memories forever.
Form Generation
Concept/ Storyboard
Scene 1
As the user moves downward along the ramp, they are facing a solid wall which blocks the view ahead The future is obscure as they descend .
Scene 2
The first blast, which went off before the main blast, is translated in a huge hole in the ground, echoed by a similar opening in the roof .
Scene 3
A path that gradually leads to the climax, which frames the physical remains of the explosion (the silos and the port) on the real site , in the distance .
Scene 4
The water lake echoes the crater that was left in the site . As the user crosses the lake, they would look around them at the stillness of the water .
