Located in Ain Anoub, a southern village in the Aley District of Mount Lebanon, Plot # 464 is a site of approximately 17,000 square meters in surface area, with a total built-up area of approximately 3,100 square meters. With an overall terrain sloping down about 33 meters, the plot consists of a natural denivelation at its uppermost point and a planted denivelation at its lowest. In between lie an upper and lower plateau, as well as an artificial denivelation, all of which house the parcel’s existing structures and their complementary proposed residential intervention.

This project had already been initiated by the client, a man very well-versed and familiar with local construction methods. He had already begun the rehabilitation of an old school, an existing structure on the site, intervening on it delicately and concisely. Our architectural intervention thus attempts to preserve the presence and aura of this valued element on the site, by justly integrating it with and preventing it from being overshadowed by the relatively far more sizeable additions that were commissioned.

Our proposed scheme therefore consists of concisely organizing programmatic additions along the aforementioned lower and upper plateaus of the site, all the while attempting to absorb the artificial denivelation which lies in between. Programmatic additions were thus added at the lower plateau, opening up and projecting onto it, and rising to the entresol where their roofs serve as connections to the upper plateau, extending to morph into it. The lower additions accommodate the family living quarters as well as recreational areas such as gardens, a gym and the swimming pool area; whereas the upper plateau accommodates guest suites and reception spaces, one of which is housed in the rehabilitated house.