iDAR-Jerusalem
Graduates of Birzeit University presented their initiative at the international competition for Beirut’s port design and renovation.Their proposal was chosen as the winning submission. The team competed with participants from the USA, Russia, Italy, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, China, and other countries.
In 2020, the port was destroyed by an explosion in a warehouse: hundreds of people died and residential buildings and infrastructure were destroyed. According to one of the members of the Palestinian group Majd al-Maliki, The Aftermath: Productive Beirut project offers a new vision of the city as an independent productive force. The authors propose reusing leftover materials such as steel, wood, and glass. In addition, the architects presented options for the development of the local economy: the creation of creative spaces, industrial premises, vocational and agricultural schools, aimed primarily at combatting unemployment. Modular houses were also designed for residents who lost their homes as a result of the explosion.
During their work on the initiative, the team lacked information about the state of the destroyed and remaining buildings, but the participants were still able to solve this problem and come up with a winning proposal.
