Housing for the Fishermen of Tyre

Given the chaotic and unpredictable conditions of the new context and its isolation from the residential quarters of Tyre, the design defines a strong edge to the outside along the site perimeter. However, it introduces an organizational frame for the surrounding streets and new parcels. This edge is made of an extenuated building (7 meters thick) that wraps in on itself creating an internal road and an open space. The internal road continues the side street, provides access to the units, and connects the two main access points. The open space provides a common public garden and a playground. In order to avoid a closed, urban-block effect, the linear mass is broken down into a series of buildings separated by gaps that are used for public circulation. These spaces provide variety within the building volume. The corners are treated differently in response to different external conditions. One of the main concerns of the fishermen was to maintain equality among the units. In order to provide for equality, particularly in terms of access to private outdoor space and access to view, the units had to be different depending on their location in plan. The project consists of 80 two-bedroom units each about 86 square meters of interior space and about half the area in private outdoor open space. The units are arranged in three types of blocks or groupings. The first type consists of simple one-story flats (simplexes) arranged around a common scissor stair. The second type of block consists of 4 duplexes, each duplex consisting of an open floor plan for living spaces and a second floor for bedrooms. This type is located around the main open space. All living floors have cross views and cross ventilation and are extended to the outside by private outdoors spaces (gardens and porches for the lower units and balconies and roof decks for the upper units). The third type is a combination of duplexes and simplexes and is located at the corners of the main open space. One of the main features of this project is the large open space. The space of the building mass in relation to the open space allows for an increasing enclosure and then release. The open space is made of two parts, a paved area with a collective water tank underneath and a planted area. Instead of framing the parts with trees, trees are used to mark entrances to paths between buildings. The landscape spills through these gaps between the buildings to the exterior to emphasize the connection between the interior open space and the street.

Credits

Client: Al Baqaa Housing Cooperative And The Association For The Development Of Rural Areas In Southern Lebanon, Yousif Khalil, Director
Donors: Greek Catholic Church Of Tyre, Spanish Agency For International Cooperation, And Several Private Donors
Design Team: Hashim Sarkis, Anuraj Shah And Erkin Ozay (Project Coordinators), Ziad Jamaleddine, Paul Kaloustian, Brian Mulder, David Hill, Mete Sonmez, Ryan Bollom, Ezra Block, Cynthia Gunadi, Scott Hagen, Cheyne Owens
Structural Engineers: Mohamed Chahine And Mounir Mabsout
Project Manager: Mohamed Chahine
Electro-Mechanical Engineers: Aurora
Contractor: Ebco-Bitar