A deep bond between art and architecture

BY JAWDAT ARNOUK

BY JAWDAT ARNOUK

Jawdat Arnouk holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the “Université du Saint Esprit a Kaslik – USEK,” from where he graduated with honour in 1992. His career started in Lebanon with Archico-consultants, where he gained broad experience, beginning in 1988, when he designed his first executed project in Achrafieh-Lebanon.

He set up the first branch of Archico in Kaslik in 1996 in partnership with his father, brother, and wife, followed by another in Beirut in 2001 and soon became principal architect / partner.

He joined the ESA in 2000 for an executive Master of Business Administration and joined ALBA University as a course instructor for five semesters.

My association with Anachar Basbous all started over a bottle of good wine in Rachana a few years back while I was visiting the place. I was then commissioned to carry out the house extension and the pool. It was a challenge as I had to intervene in a construction made by the eminent artist, the late Michel Basbous. It was a huge responsibility.

The success of that venture and many debates on sculpture and architecture ended up becoming a form of complicity. We wandered around the globe, visiting museums together at the four corners of the Earth. We lived the strong tie between sculpture and architecture.

MAB’s concept was generated from a close dialogue between the artist and the architect. From the beginning, the excavation process was respectful of the environment. Earth was removed from the site, and then the concrete juggernaut landed between the olive trees. A joint workshop with Anachar involved form and function, finishes and techniques. A decision was made to use basic raw materials and land art as a landscape using stones from the site. Anachar started filling the space with art while MAB was taking shape; the site was alive even before MAB was engendered.

I created one gesture in counterpoint with the olive grove, stretching towards the blue horizon, respectful of its future inhabitants, protecting the space from direct sunlight in osmosis with the slope, the village church, and gray stone from the site.

MAB offers its roof as an art platform, a place of worship of the earth, the wind, and the horizon.

His projects expanded from Beirut to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, in addition to Algeria, Egypt, Ukraine, and Sudan. He set up office in Dubai in 2006 and joined the Society of Engineers of UAE, where he has achieved various projects. In Lebanon, he was a pioneer in the development of beach resorts and achieved major renowned venues.

Since 2018, he has been a guest member of the jury at USEK for interior design graduation projects.

He formed a second base in Nigeria in 2021 and in KSA in 2022 and is currently a member of the Society of Engineers in Saudi Arabia. His office has developed an international reputation and has a diverse portfolio of projects many of which were featured in the press.