East Village Beirut, Lebanon

VERTICAL GARDEN

East Village includes 13 loft units, each of the double height characteristic of the region: 10 duplexes, two penthouses with pools on each of their terraces, and one simplex, its balcony framed by red metal. On the simplex’s terrace is a private bar that overlooks the pubs and lounges scattered across Gemayzeh and through Downtown, exposing a panoramic view of the city.

East Village is a kind of supremacist composition playing with the paradoxical conditions of today and linking us to a kind of paradigm.

Jean Marc Bonfils

The concept consisted in lifting key contextual elements – traditional building material and Lebanese gardens –and revives them with contemporary interpretations. So conventional wood and dark stone found an unexpected contrast in vivid red metal, and space-efficient vertical gardens replaced their horizontal predecessors. These elements complement the diversity of the surrounding context. While it looks like a simple geometric shape from afar, the structure consists of three parallel elongated blocks each with a unique identity that’s revealed on approach, while a cantilevered section that extends out towards the street emphasizes the building’s partly public function, a contemporary art gallery that occupies the ground floor to introduce a cultural and commercial element to the project.

Awards

Key facts

Object
East Village Beirut, Lebanon

Location
Beirut, Lebanon

Architects
Jean-Marc Bonfils & Associates (Text above from the architect)

Photos
Kinan Mansour

Building period
2009 – 2013

General contractor
Kfoury Engeneering SAL

Façade construction
Kfoury Engeneering SAL

Façade material
Swisspearl Carat Black Opal 7020
Swisspearl Planea Red 314