COMPETITION DALIEH

Beyrouth, Liban 2015

Project team based in Montréal : 1- Lama Sfeir  2- Samiha Khalil  3- Wassim Mouawad  4- Ziad Moutran

 

Like many coastal cities in our neoliberal economies, Beirut is a clogged city with a high rate of high rising buildings, low rate of public open spaces, and high population density.

 

The area known as “Daliet el Rawcheh” was, by law, a public coastal land. It is among the last standing open-access public places in our capital: Dalieh is a common space and it has its shared history in the collective unconsciousness of every citizen of Beirut.

 

Our proposal is a prototype for other coastal cities, a way to stitch those cities to the sea: a North/South pedestrian cyclist path flows along the coasts without interruption.

 

Our first and foremost concern is to avoid any kind of development on the Dalieh itself. This space is home to a local fauna and flora that should be preserved at all costs.

 

Another major concern is to attract people to that open space, and nurture the space’s surroundings in order to optimize the use of the whole area, and eventually enable business opportunities to the landowners and investors.

 

Last but not least, we thrive to extend this open space with pedestrian paths, facilitating the access to open space.

 

In terms of ecology on the Dalieh itself, our project plans to restore the lost habitat and maintain the surviving flora. We also zone a natural reserve where human activity is regulated.