Role: Project Architect (HSS)
Location: Byblos, Lebanon
Status: Complete 2016
Developer: Byblos Municipality
Type: Town Hall
Size: 43,000 sf / 4,000 m2
Sustainability: Sources local materials and local workers for the facade stone.
The Town Hall explores the potential of megalithic form and how, in its simple monumentality, it can open architecture to the city and landscape without compromising its formal integrity. The architecture of the new building expresses old Byblos’ archaeological heritage through simple abstract volumes with a strong relationship with the landscape. Three megalithic volumes float over an existing park, supported by a noise barrier along the highway to the west and a common lobby to the east.
The three volumes correspond to the three programmatic elements of the town hall: the administration, the presidency, and a museum of the Phoenician alphabet that originated in Byblos. The floor plans are completely open, allowing for maximum flexibility in the layout. The upper levels of the administration and presidency volumes are connected to each other by bridges. A park runs under the three volumes and culminates in the lobby/cafeteria. An outdoor exhibition space is featured on the inner face of the noise barrier.