The 18th intervention commissioned by the Bank of Beirut, Plot # 21 is located in Antelias, a town 5km north of Beirut. Due to the fast-tracked decentralization phenomenon of the capital, this region’s urban fabric has experienced a relatively rapid and untamed development over the last few decades. As a result, the site, adjacent to a major artery which links the national coastal highway to the Metn region in Mount Lebanon, is particularly exposed to heavy vehicular traffic. With a total built-up area of 9,700 square meters, the project will house Bank of Beirut offices, as well as a commercial branch at ground level.

The proposed building mass was determined by first applying the minimum imposed setbacks onto the outline of the plot perimeter. The site being too deep for the type of exploitation required, the center of the volume was voided out to create an interior courtyard. The result is a shallow 10-meter slab depth, consequently insuring utmost exposure to both the outer and inner peripheries encircling the generous courtyard.

The aforementioned established footprint is then vertically extruded, with the building’s envelope becoming a literal translation of the maximum allowable volume on this particular site. The volume’s highest instant meets at a single point north of the plot, whereas the lowest vertex fronts the main vehicular artery at the south. This creates a 5th inclined façade further gaining exposure and natural sunlight from the most unobstructed orientation.