A Museum for Beirut

Beirut, Lebanon

The House of Arts

Cultural

2017

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Status

Competition

Client

Ministry of Culture

Address

Beirut, Lebanon

Date

2017

Area

16 000 m²

Program (Details)

Theaters, cinema halls, national film library, exhibition halls, work and training rooms, meeting rooms, cafeteria and commercial spaces, documentation center

Credits

Mikoü

Architect

Mikoü

Structure

TERREL

Fluids

TERREL

HQE

EODD

Economy

SLETEC

Others

Acoustics: LASA

Beirut is a city where history unfolds in layers, a palimpsest where Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman, Arab, and Ottoman remnants coexist. This rich tapestry of cultures and eras has earned it the evocative nickname “the well”—a place where the past rises beneath the present, and where every stone bears the imprint of time.

Beirut, a City of Layers and Memory
Similar to Beirut, the House of Arts and Culture embodies an architecture of layers and dialogue. It integrates both the performing and visual arts, incorporating exhibition spaces, performance venues, a cinematheque, a library, and offices. Its design revolves around the layering of functions and the dramatization of pathways, turning every movement into an immersive and sensory journey.

Urban Sculpture Between Masses and Voids

The House of Arts and Culture rises as a sculpture hewn from the city’s mineral fabric. It interweaves and articulates stacked volumes, opening onto cantilevered vantage points that frame views of the urban landscape. Its translucent clay concrete shell, interlaced with fiberglass, endows the building with a presence that is both substantial and ethereal. In daylight, the transitional spaces are animated by a translucent effect, subtly revealing the interior pathways and exhibition routes through its transparent skin.

Ascensional Journey: From the Forum to the Upper City
The architectural path ascends in a fluid, upward motion, beginning at the plaza that extends from the lower city. It leads into a spacious indoor forum, the dynamic core of the project, and then continues toward a second elevated plaza, establishing a dialogue with the upper city. Expansive windows dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior, offering the exhibition spaces a connection to the urban landscape and creating an intimate relationship with Beirut.

Ascensional Journey from the Forum to the Upper City

The performance halls are not concealed behind opaque walls; instead, they are prominently showcased on the façade, visible from the exterior through expansive suspended loggias that extend over the city. Curved glass panels, shielded by opaque silk curtains, subtly reveal the stage volumes within, inviting the eye to linger on these theatrical balconies suspended between light and shadow.

A Place of Life, a Bridge Between the Arts and the City
The House of Arts and Culture is more than just a venue for creation; it is a passage, a threshold, a space where diverse disciplines converge, and where architecture itself becomes a form of performance. By opening itself to Beirut and embracing its history and evolution, it becomes an integral part of the city’s vibrant spirit.