BEYROUTH – OLAYAN // non construit

Construction of several design programs in central Beirut near the place des Martyrs along the sea front on two adjacent plots close to a mosque and a church. Plot 987 is occupied by « the egg », a former movie theater dating from 1965, the unique remnant of the war and a historic landmark for several generations. The Olayan family (Saudi Arabia) and its partners (Mandarin Oriental Group) have commissioned the building of a 5-star hotel with a sea view that will be the group’s biggest hotel development to date (275 rooms). The hotel includes the iconic egg which will house a restaurant or a performance space. The upmarket housing is aimed at a wealthy foreign clientele. The shape of the exterior skin of the offices echoes the design of the mosque and the ogives of the oriental buildings.