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Architects: PARALX
- Area: 32000 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Wissam Chaaya
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Lead Architect: Karim Moussawer
Text description provided by the architects. Beirut, Lebanon — The Middle East and US-based architecture firm PARALX has completed two major contributions to the Beirut Digital District (BDD), a recently developed commercial area of Beirut dedicated to the burgeoning digital and creative economy of Lebanon.
First, BDD 1227 is a set of new office buildings with indoor-outdoor workspaces designed to be occupied by companies representative of the Beirut Digital District. As the first new offices adjacent to the rebuilt central district, the LEED Gold certified BDD 1227 adds over 194,000sf/18,032m2 of office space across a 4.44-acre/1.8-hectare site amid 19th-century structures. From the massing to the porosity and connection to place, PARALX’s design takes inspiration from its location on the city’s former Green Line, where Beirut was split into east and west during the civil war from 1975 to 1990.
Second, PARALX oversaw the restoration of Saint George Church, a 19th-century church sited between the two buildings of BDD 1227. The firm was tasked with building 26,000sf/2,415m2 square feet of public outdoor space and a parking garage underneath the church to connect the two buildings without harming the historic structure. In a nod to traditional ornaments found in 19th-century churches across Lebanon, the firm also designed a roof composed of parametrically designed truncated pyramids that funnel natural light through the main interior.
PARALX won the project through an invited design competition for the office building to the north. During the early design stages, St. George Church, who owned the site to the south, entered into an agreement to add another building and renovate the church itself. PARALX has also overseen master planning for the Beirut Digital District, which encompassed residential, hotels, entertainment, retail, and additional office buildings for the growing BDD community.
Founded by the Lebanese-American architect Karim Moussawer in 2010, PARALX led all phases of the major urban development. The project incorporates sustainable design strategies and achieved LEED Gold certification ahead of completion. Local photographer Wissam Chaaya has completed a series of photos documenting the architecture and interiors.
"Understanding the history, seeing what's around, and envisioning how this scale and type of project could fit within that specific context was very important." — Karim Moussawer, Int. Assoc. AIA, founding principal of PARALX
