RESILIENT BYBLOS 2050

* PROJECT CHOSEN TO REPRESENT THE UNIVERSITY FOR:
-THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION
-ARUP
-SCHNEIDER AND SCHUMACHER
-VENICE BIENNALE 2015
-EMRE AROLAT

BYBLOS, LEBANON IS ONE OF THE OLDEST INHABITED CITIES IN THE WORLD AND IS PART OF THE FIRST COHORT OF CITIES TO JOIN THE100 RESILIENT CITIES NETWORK (100RC) – PIONEERED BY THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION. ‘RESILIENT BYBLOS’ INTRODUCES BYBLOS MUNICIPALITY’S RESILIENCE STRATEGY.

WITH THE COLLABORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY, WE WERE TO ENVISION A STRATEGY ALONG THE LOST RIVER FOR RESILIENT BYBLOS 2050.
 

A RIVER IS A PATH THAT HAS DIFFERENT IDENTITIES WHEN CROSSING DIFFERENT TYPES OF LANDSCAPE. IT IS USUALLY AN ORGANIZATIONAL ELEMENT WHEN CROSSING A CERTAIN URBAN FABRIC. IN AIN EL WADI THIS IS NOT THE CASE: RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS AND INDUSTRIES BUILT OVER THE RIVER OBSTRUCT THE NATURAL FLOW OF WATER AND SOMETIMES EVEN MAKE IT DISAPPEAR MAKING IT IN MOST OF THE CASES A LOST MEMORY. IN OTHER WORDS, SOME STRUCTURES ARE A MAN-MADE AGGRESSION AND ACT AS A PARASITE TO THE STUDIED PATH.

THE MAIN INTENTION IS TO REVIVE THE ROLE OF THE RIVER AS A PUBLIC AND UNIFYING ELEMENT WITHOUT ACTUALLY HAVING A RIVER.\

THE IDEA IS TO RECONSTRUCT THE PATH OF THE RIVER BY A SERIES OF LANDMARKS TO RECREATE VIRTUALLY THE RIVER: THOSE LANDMARKS ARE WATER COLLECTORS NOT ONLY STANDING OUT IN THE LANDSCAPE AND UNIFYING THE RIVER VISUALLY BUT ALSO ALLOWING A PROPER REDISTRIBUTION OF WATER TO THE INHABITANT OF BYBLOS AND EVEN GENERATING ELECTRICITY.

1- SINCE RIVERS ARE THE MOST EFFICIENT NATURAL PATH REACHING A FINAL DESTINATION WE FOLLOW THE OLD RIVER PATH BY CONNECTING LANDMARKS BY A SERIES OF PUBLIC SPACES AND A CONTINUOUS PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLING PATH. ON A BIGGER SCALE, THIS TYPE OF TRANSPORTATION WILL ALSO MINIMIZE POLLUTION AND TRAFFIC AND CONTRIBUTE TO DECREASING HEALTH PROBLEMS.

2- THE WATER COLLECTORS HAVE MULTIPLE ROLES DEPENDING ON THEIR LOCATION. THEY CAN ACT AS VIEWING POINTS, BRIDGES, LIBRARIES, RESTAURANT… EACH OF THE TOWER OFFERS DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES. THEY ADDRESS STUDENTS FROM LAU REACHING THE CITY EASILY, RESIDENT OF BYBLOS CITY AND TOURIST

3- THE MEMORY OF THE RIVER CAN ALSO BE REVIVED BY TARGETING THE SENSES:
- THE TALL WATER COLLECTORS ALLOW US TO NOTICE THE PATH VISUALLY FROM ANY POINT IF LOOKED AT FROM OUTSIDE
- STANDING ON THE PATH, THE LANDMARKS ALLOW US TO PREDICT THE DIRECTION TO FOLLOW.
- AT SOME POINTS, THE PATH HAS A CLEAR GLASS TILING WHERE WATER IN PIPES COLLECTED FROM THE WATER TOWERS AND REDISTRIBUTED TO HOUSEHOLDS ARE VISIBLE.
THIS NOT ONLY RECREATES THE “RIVER” FEELING BUT ALSO TRIGGER A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AMONG RESIDENT.

ACADEMIC URBAN PLANNING DES IX
GROUP WORK: SAMAR EL SAMAD, KARINE GHOSN
LAU -BYBLOS
2015