In this thread, let us show all the current activity going in BCD (Beirut Central District) other than Platinum Tower, Beirut Tower, Marina Towers, Four Seasons Hotel, Beirut Souks, etc..., i.e. projects that do not have their own threads.

It is preferable that you mention the date when the image was taken so that we can differentiate.

(All pics are taken in 07/05/2006)

Beirut Hilton

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/9035/dscn07498dv.jpg


Grand Hyatt Beirut

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/5761/dscn07634de.jpg

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1361/dscn07642kc.jpg

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/3305/dscn07614ko.jpg


Berytus Park
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/3728/dscn07345vl.jpg


Park Avenue 1330

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/7964/dscn07516fv.jpg

Narekar, this is exactly the type of thread we needed (for all the lowrise projects), and the pics are great! I am so glad you joined this forum, thanks so much for all your pics!

Welcome! No problem.

Let's hope that investments in our country increases and we'll post about new projects.

They really are taking their time in building the Hilton. It's supposed to open in the 3rd quarter of this year, but I don't see how they will finish it in time.

Also, it doesn't look like Grand Hyatt is coming up yet. What is the building under construction right behind it in that picture you took?

Berytus Parks is taking shape nicely.

it will b good when the hilton is reddy maybe Paris will come n vist ;)

I must say i'm not impressed by the hilton hotel, not very grandiose as they are usually. Not to my likings

I must say i'm not impressed by the hilton hotel, not very grandiose as they are usually. Not to my likings

It's not a big hotel. It's a 158-room 8-story boutique style hotel:

http://www.davislangdonlb.com/hilton.jpg

loool. has she ever been to any country in the middle east?

Wasnt there a hilton being built in Hamra, and then they stopped construction??? whats going to happen to that building?

Wasnt there a hilton being built in Hamra, and then they stopped construction??? whats going to happen to that building?

Yes, the 70-room Hilton Beirut Barrage Residence. I don't know why they stopped it. I will see what I can find out next week when I'm in Beirut.

I have a feeling this hotel company may have bought it as they reportedly bought two buildings in Beirut, one in the Raouche area and one in the Commodore area and are converting them to hotels.

http://www.coral-international.com

I thought I would add these pics to this thread, as they are more appropriate here.

If anyone could properly identify these projects that would be great...
(Saifi Village II is on the left in the first pic)


http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/7304/1320619658bb87551ebo9qd.jpg

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/8484/132061962b6a6d3d002o6si.jpg

What is the building under construction right behind it in that picture you took?

Honestly, I do not know, sorry!

dose anyone know what the reddish bulding that is the newlt bulit one is it another hotel ?

Beirut the first picture is Saifi Village 2, then the second one I am not to sure.

..

No not that old styled oone its brand new its next to the four seasons getting built its next to a yellow one what looks similer to it

No not that old styled oone its brand new its next to the four seasons getting built its next to a yellow one what looks similer to it

Are you talking about this?
http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/3305/dscn07614ko.jpg

If so, then that is just a complex with offices and apartments. My uncle's company moved their offices to there about a year and a half ago, just a few months before Hariri's assassination.

According to the renderings posted here (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=2046613&postcount=18), that empty space in the middle of the first pic Beirut! posted is probably Beirut Gate. I presume the tower, part of the Beirut Gate, will be built behind the mosque, near the Lazzarieh building, currently a parking lot.

Moreover, in the first pic that Beirut! posted, the open space behind the church and the mosque (to the right of the pic) will be Garden of Forgiveness developed by Solidere.
More about this garden can be found here (http://www.solidere.workwebsite.net/garden/).

well looks like something is going up beside the garden of forgiveness (look in the middle at the end)

http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/3963/949161138b8895b080b0is.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

They are finally going to renovate the former cinema house and u can see some construction on the right, not sure what it is... saifi village 2?

http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/7407/2345957640089731332dbobhqph4xf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

it's hard to believe that Beirut Gate will fit in the parking lot, from this picture u can see that there is not much space around the mosque

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/1406/461542193piepbjph5hu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Yes, next to the Garden of Forgiveness a residential complex named Beirut Gardens is being constructed currently.

Regarding Beirut Gate, the empty space you see between the mosque and Lazzarieh building is not a parking lot, it's a road. Now I guess that next to the Lazzarieh building, maybe to the back of the cinema complex, the tower will exist. (I'm speculating, I'm not sure. I'm basing my opinion with regard to the renderings)

Few others buildings being renovated/rebuilt

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/9104/101bobbcd13zr.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/5354/101bobbcd24wu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/6610/108almawaridhq10aq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/5101/108almawaridhq22li.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Here is the rendering of the cinema shown earlier

http://img318.imageshack.us/img318/4420/102bcd0518lh.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

From the pic that Nadini posted (in post 21), the Landmark project will be in the Riad el Solh Square. The empty space you see to the right of the pic. (Currently, a parking lot)

mashallah, Beirut is moving up in the world......

hmm...Im confused, I thought that they were going to demolish the theater and replace it with part of Beirut Gate? Isnt that theater style way too old fashioned to be restored?

Moreover, in the first pic that Beirut! posted, the open space behind the church and the mosque (to the right of the pic) will be Garden of Forgiveness developed by Solidere.
More about this garden can be found here (http://www.solidere.workwebsite.net/garden/).


I know, I was curious about the construction site in between the Virgin Megastore and the mosque...does anyone have info/renders on that?

what is that thing??? that funky space looking thing? i never seen it. and if its something about to be built....ewwwwww!

Nice. :)

Grand Hyatt Beirut is very nice. :yes:

Here is the rendering of the cinema shown earlier

http://img318.imageshack.us/img318/4420/102bcd0518lh.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Ok, I am confused, I thought those projects would all be lining the martyr's square in the following order: from north to south (i.e. from the bridge in this photo to the sea):
1- Beirut Gate (the plot of land just south of the bridge -on both sides, and where the cinema dome is in the render- + the Lazariya parking lot)
2- the landmark project, just south of BG, in the large parking lot that is currently between the virgin Megastore and the mosque
3- more to the south, and a bit to the east (on the sea): the Levant Holding cluster.

We should start voting on which of these projects we prefer, too bad there isn't enough info and renders, especially for beirut gate, but so far, I find the Landmark project to be by far the most interesting architecturally, followed by Levant holding (which would give the city a distinct, downtown-looking skyline-even if it's just a trompe l'oeil), but the real skyscrapers will be in the reclamation area, and are yet to be unveiled.

2- the landmark project, just south of BG, in the large parking lot that is currently between the virgin Megastore and the mosque


The Landmark project is in Riad el Solh Square and not in Martyrs Square.

next to ESCWA?

Yes, exactly.

Yes, exactly.

Do you know if the Landmark project is still on? I heard they were having difficulties approving the height.

I think it is extremely ugly and I'm not looking forward to it...

next to ESCWA?


You mean in the parking lot?? because I dont see much room there...

Ok, I am confused, I thought those projects would all be lining the martyr's square in the following order: from north to south (i.e. from the bridge in this photo to the sea):
1- Beirut Gate (the plot of land just south of the bridge -on both sides, and where the cinema dome is in the render- + the Lazariya parking lot)
2- the landmark project, just south of BG, in the large parking lot that is currently between the virgin Megastore and the mosque
3- more to the south, and a bit to the east (on the sea): the Levant Holding cluster.


You forgot Saifi Village II.

Here is the rendering of the cinema shown earlier

http://img318.imageshack.us/img318/4420/102bcd0518lh.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

And yes, sadly this looks like a spaceship just landed in Martyrs Square. It needs to be demolished immediately.

Do you know if the Landmark project is still on? I heard they were having difficulties approving the height.

I think it is extremely ugly and I'm not looking forward to it...
Yes, I heard about that too. You are right, it will look odd. It reminds me Monparnas building in Paris.

Here is the render of the project.
http://img393.imageshack.us/img393/1948/city52dy.jpg

You mean in the parking lot??
Yes, in the parking lot.

Here is the rendering of the cinema shown earlier

http://img318.imageshack.us/img318/4420/102bcd0518lh.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Back in 2004, Solidere was getting ready to demolish the old "bubble" after they couldn't figure out what to do with it. Some international architects who came and saw it though thought it was unique and worth preserving somehow. Lebanese architect Bernard Khoury came up with this design you showed to transform it into a events center, Solidere accepted as a temporary solution until they decide to develop the land.

However, part of the Beirut Gate project is coming up on that spot, so it looks like it will not be transformed into that temporary events center Bernard Khoury designed, but instead demolished entirely to make way for the Beirut Gate which will begin construction soon.

naregkar,

Has the parking lot where the Landmark will be built been closed?

I really hope they don't build this ugly thing. I am quite curious though, I haven't heard anything about this project in a while.

I will ask my cousin next week.

Has the parking lot where the Landmark will be built been closed?
No, it's still operational.
In Solidere's quarterly report (the PDF file), the project is under permitting / study status. I don't know if they have reached to an agreement or not.

naregkar,

Yeah, that PDF is from last year. I am curious about some more recent information. I'll hopefully find out next week.


http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/7304/1320619658bb87551ebo9qd.jpg

As you said, on the left side the Saifi Village II project is being constructed by UAE-based DEYAAR.
http://www.deyaar.ae/components/com_phpshop/shop_image/category/18222828deef8ccc24c87eb95abf0d88.jpg

http://www.deyaar.ae/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=28&option=com_phpshop&Itemid=64

In the middle in that photo, where you see an area that is fenced is where the new Lebanese Canadian Bank headquarters will be built.
http://www.mea707.lrehosting.com/solidere/lebanesecanadianbank.png

Right behind it is where the Beirut Gate project starts.

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/8484/132061962b6a6d3d002o6si.jpg

Where they are digging in the infront of the reddish building is the Foch 94 residences.

http://www.mea707.lrehosting.com/solidere/societefoch94-residential.png

http://www.foch94.com

The building coming up across the street from the reddish building is Foch 126, just a small office building.

I know, I was curious about the construction site in between the Virgin Megastore and the mosque...does anyone have info/renders on that?

Plans for the area between the Virgin Megastore and the Mohammad Al Amin Mosque have changed because of Hariri's shrine.

There were originally going to be two buildings constructed in that area, but now it will be just one, next to the Virgin Megastore called Beirut Gardens.

Reportedly, the design for the building was just submitted to Solidere. Hopefully we'll see it soon.

There are many plans and studies going on.
In one of Solidere's quarterly reports (1st quarter of 2006) there are plans for constructing towers, hotels, residential buildings, etc...
Hope soon we'll know what they are.

Btw, where are you Lebanese Cedar??? Not in Lebanon?

There are many plans and studies going on.
In one of Solidere's quarterly reports (1st quarter of 2006) there are plans for constructing towers, hotels, residential buildings, etc...
Hope soon we'll know what they are.

I looked at the 1st quarter of 2006 report, what specifically on it are you talking about?

Btw, where are you Lebanese Cedar??? Not in Lebanon?

I'm in the USA.

Lebanese Cedar,

I was referring to the projects in Mína el-Hosn. Many studies are being done such as Dib Tower, Town Tower, New Beirut Tower, etc...
It seems that DAMAC has also a property, what will they do?

Nice, so next week you'll be flying to Lebanon. Oh, that 6 to 7 hours on the Atlantic must be terrible.

It seems that DAMAC has also a property, what will they do?

DAMAC Properties launched a $120 million 27-story residential tower in December, though no renderings have been revealed yet.

http://www.damacproperties.com/new/main/PressDetails.asp?NewsID=68

Nice, so next week you'll be flying to Lebanon. Oh, that 6 to 7 hours on the Atlantic must be terrible.

I've gotten used to it. :)

Yes, I heard about that too. You are right, it will look odd. It reminds me Monparnas building in Paris.

Here is the render of the project.
http://img393.imageshack.us/img393/1948/city52dy.jpg


Yes, in the parking lot.

Easyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy guys, both on the nouvel tower and the old "blob".

I think the Nouvel tower is really imposing and interesting, we don't have enough renders yet, but it seems to be architecturally very interesting, they use experimental material on the outside and it will be accessed through an interesting array of bridges and skyways, making it a postmodern shrine (a tower not being an independent island-as modernists presumed)
Beirut CANNOT compete with dubai and new york in terms of height and the world already has thousands of "sleek" lookalike glass towers (I look at most projects going up in Dubai and I really can't tell them apart), Beirut should be a center for experimentation and daring designs (not "daring" in terms of how many floors you build-re Mohammad bin rashid's concept) and innovative ideas of urban living.
Unfortunately, the Landmark is the only such experiment, soldiere is way too conservative and has a tendency to scale down the architects' designs to make them fit commercial and conservative asethetic standards (happened to souks, will happen to the axis)

about the "Blob":
1- it will be an arts center, which is important, look at Beirut today, we have almost no such public projects. it will also be one of the few "real" vestiges of "modernist" beirut (the rest of old beirut which pretends to emulate an imagined version of the "past" is just disneyfication)
2- it will be designed by the genius Bernard Khoury, trust me, it will be very interesting
3- it is only temporary, a 7-year-lease. Solidere won't give up that expensive plot

We should be more open minded, Beirut will have a HUGE amount of dubai-like malls, not only all those projects surrounding the conservation area (BG, Landmark, Levant, Souks), but wait to see the reclamation area and Mina` al hosn, what you call "downtown Beirut" today is not more than 10% of what will be there, this is just the conservation area...
We need things like art centers and open unused public spaces.
Those luxury residential projects (saifi, platinum, Marina) are VERY bad for the urban fabric, luxury only works by exclusion, it is the antithesis of public interaction, we need a living city, not small isolated luxurious islands dotting the landscape and inhabited by rich lebanese and saudis....
That is what Dubai will look like, trust me, you don't want that
my 2 cents

And the landmark is nothing like Montparnasse -which is an extreme example of rigid modernism.

Khayam, I understand your point, but the Landmark just wont look right at all for the BCD - it is daring but in an ugly and disappointing way.
And like I said before, nothing can convince me that the spaceship is a good idea. If you want a center for the arts, one can be built that does not look like it just landed there.

I cant wait to c the BCD all finshed like in the 2020 thats long time !!!!!!

DAMAC Properties launched a $120 million 27-story residential tower in December, though no renderings have been revealed yet.
Nice to hear that! Thanks.

I founf this pic for the "space ship":D
Now this is cool;)

http://www.artdvision.com/TRANSITIO/beirut/Beirutimages/1l.jpg

what is that

interesting...but thats still one ugly projection screen lol

This "space ship" must be demolished unless it is similar to the spherical thing shown in the rendering of Beirut Gate. Look to the lower right part of the image.
Honestly, I don't know if that spherical thing is part of the project or not.

http://mea707.lrehosting.com/BeirutGate/3.jpg

It's hard to know right now, doesn't matter it will look better then what it does now!

Yes, you're right Nadini.

It seems that Landmark Project is either seeing its last negotiations or has already been decided to be built.

According to The Daily Star,
The $272 million Landmark project, compromising a shopping mall in Beirut Central District, will be the largest single project finalized by IDAL.
The whole article can be found here (http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=24419).

I guess it is getting ready to be built! Great news

I founf this pic for the "space ship":D
Now this is cool;)

http://www.artdvision.com/TRANSITIO/beirut/Beirutimages/1l.jpg

no way its sooo ugly!!!! i passed it earlier this week. and its sooo yucky. i seen a photo i think nadini posted what it it shoudl look like once its renovated...but still. i dont like it. it looks weird.

i agree with u that sood just get of it

i heard this bank headquarters opened lately,i'd like to see a new pic,it's a so beautiful building.wow.

http://image26.webshots.com/27/3/77/61/297537761CsTzRh_ph.jpg

I dont see the picture lol

seriously?u don't?koz i can and NOW.

Oh yes, I have seen this before, I cant believe they are going to destroy this already existing structure!

Not destroying,u can still see that they are just making changes and repairing things.

Hmm... I dont know it doesnt look very similar...

About Bank of Kuwait & The Arab World, it is a new building which will be built on the intersection of Weygand Street with Foch Street. The current damaged building is another building. I don't know what it will be.

found this, interesting!

http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/2309/sdsfd6ux.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Yes. This must be from Solidere's quarterly PDF files.

wow that looks cool its going to b a very big site for consrcution there

dose anyone know when the beirut water front website will b finshed i go in it and it allwasy under conruction www.beirutwaterfront.com

WOW,lot's of work need to be done out there;)

Wow, thanks Nadini, I wonder what the heights of some of these buildings are going to be...

so much construction going on these days.. .can't wait to visit again

Hey,tripolis,welcome to the forum;):)

I would love to see renders of the Town Tower and the Dib Tower...

Deep and Town Towers are under permitting / study status.
I don't know if renders are available or not.

thanks hassoun.. nice to finally get the lebanese forum going.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but how come the marina landfill was once almost completely filled in (see pic below) a few years ago, yet now we see it with much water (even near BIEL) and little change?

http://tinypic.com/51v5zp
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/7691/b67iy.gif

When will the reclamation finally be complete?

Interesting question Beirut! No, this is not a dumb question at all.

Maybe they forced water to pass for certain geologic factors. Does this make sense???

hey Beirut! i mwas woundering that my self its wired

They are still recycling the land itself so it is being moved around a lot. It will take another 10 years for the reclamation to be complete. Construction on it will be at the very end of the 2nd phase of the Beirut Central District reconstruction project.

the first picture is of the old normandy garbage dump, the installations next to it were the factory that was recycling it. The chemical make-up of the dump was very unstable, you could not just build on it, you needed to extract the gazes that accumulate underneath it (and could explode), then recycle the garbage, and THEN start filling the space, which then takes years to be stable enough to build upon.

Thanks Lebanese Cedar and Khayam for that information, it is unfortunate that it will take so long to be complete... how come the landfill in Dabayyeh was completed so quickly?

how come the landfill in Dabayyeh was completed so quickly?
I guess that's because nothing existed prior to filling the land. The land was all sea. The problem for the Beirut one was that, as Khayam mentioned above, there were trapped gases and stuff like that.

Thanks Lebanese Cedar and Khayam for that information, it is unfortunate that it will take so long to be complete... how come the landfill in Dabayyeh was completed so quickly?

As Khayam said, the landfill is toxic in gases, particularly Methane which can explode (and actually have in the past on numerous occasions). They first need to extract the gases from the ground before it can be further developed and this takes time.

hmm...Im confused, I thought that they were going to demolish the theater and replace it with part of Beirut Gate? Isnt that theater style way too old fashioned to be restored?



this cinema is going to be re-constructed by a lebanaise architect bernard khoury...he has on his website a lot of pics of this cinema but no one knows when he starts with this project..i hope soon..it reminds on war....

thanks khayam for the info
Beiruts waterfront wont b showing in a very long time then
so is Beil safe enouthe of that land ?

^^ good point, how come BIEL was built on the land so soon?

this cinema is going to be re-constructed by a lebanaise architect bernard khoury...he has on his website a lot of pics of this cinema but no one knows when he starts with this project..i hope soon..it reminds on war....


This might be interesting to some of you... I found these pics (taken in 1995) of the inside of the theatre:

http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/700/770/779/ludvigsen/pcd0415/img0014.jpg

http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/700/770/779/ludvigsen/pcd0415/img0013.jpg

WOOOOOOW,indeed,interesting.
thanx beirut!:)

This is not in the space ship, this was the old opera house where the Virgin Megastore stands today.

i asked this in another thread but its not very active so i'll ask it here

some plase answer !!!

2 years a go in the daily star they said there is plans to bulid a 7 star hotel in lebanon is this still on or they are going on with it
has anyone herd of this project ?

This is not in the space ship, this was the old opera house where the Virgin Megastore stands today.


ohhh that makes sense too... thanks Nadini, but the space ship could look similar on the inside right?

i asked this in another thread but its not very active so i'll ask it here

some plase answer !!!

2 years a go in the daily star they said there is plans to bulid a 7 star hotel in lebanon is this still on or they are going on with it
has anyone herd of this project ?

This has been mentioned in the Marina City thread, why dont you ask it there (seeing as it is not in the BCD it would help keep the threads on topic).

ohhh that makes sense too... thanks Nadini, but the space ship could look similar on the inside right?

perhaps but it looks a little bit to long for the space looking one no?

This is not in the space ship, this was the old opera house where the Virgin Megastore stands today.
Too small for an opera house.the seats suits cinema more.

So are we not sure now what this is? I still think it looks like the space ship because of its shape and size...but it could be either.

the building dose look the Virgin megastore

Yes its not the spaceship, well what I think cuz its to long and plus there isnt that many windows according to the photos I posted earlier

edit.

Beirut Gardens is being built. It is a residential low-rise building.

edit.

Sorry, no renders. (at least I don't have)

edit.

when beirut gate is complete wood there still be a Martyers sqaure ?

^^ Yup, it will just be smaller than the current size but it will be the same size as the original square (before the war).

oh ok cool but it wont fit 1 million pple in like b4

Man, although it was very exciting to be there at Martyrs Square as unified one force but I guess those tensions won't orient us to the best.

Bab el Saray

(04/06/2006)

http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/186/dscn08759nk.jpg

http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/2501/dscn08764em.jpg

http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/6681/dscn08810vy.jpg

is that the Foch building geting built

This Bab el Saray is on the beginning of Weygand Street (to the left), also it is on Martyrs Square near Virgin Megastore and UFA Insurances.

The progress of martyr sqaure in Beirut is great!!! :)

a thanks - where could i see a rendering of this building ?
http://mea707.lrehosting.com/solidere/05/beirutgardens-residential.png

Renderings of Bab El Saray:

http://www.hanimuradgroup.com/achievements/images/bcd.jpg
http://mea707.lrehosting.com/solidere/babelsarayannahar.png
http://mea707.lrehosting.com/solidere/05/babelsaray-hotel.png

Thanx nareg.and lebanese cedar :)thank u guys :)

Dalal Building
This one is a residential building on George Haddad Street. (Also it is near the road that takes you to Gemmayze)

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/9891/dscn08509cs.jpg

http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/1237/dscn08492tf.jpg

http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/7079/dscn08525fv.jpg

Bank of Kuwait & The Arab World

This building is on Weygand Street on one side and Foch Street on the other.
(04/06/2006)

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/2081/dscn08749sc.jpg

Beirut Gardens

A low-rise residential apartments on Martyrs Square near Virgin Megastore.
(04/06/2006)

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/4037/dscn08671ks.jpg

Thanks again Nareg! I love this thread now...

Just a suggestion, I think it would be easier if you used the date imprint on your camera so that the date would appear in the corner of the pics (for construction pics).

I try that next time.

Any updates regarding The Grand Theatre?
SOLIDERE currently has placed this one under permitting / study status as a hotel.

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/8650/dscn08629vx.jpg

^^ Interesting... It looks like its generally in good condition...was it in the process of being restored?

^^ It's like this for many years I presume. The exterior (specially from the front) is indeed in good condition. But the interior needs lot of works. It seems that the project has been halted due to some reason. (Political reasons maybe?)

Wow,they should keep it,restore it and not transforming it to a hotel.

^^ That's true there are way too many hotels in Beirut but not enough theaters.

not sure if this has been mentioned before.. but here's a rendering of the new Solidere Rotana

http://www.rotana.com/factsheets/images/solidere1.jpg

Yes, it had been mentioned earlier. It has a separate thread.
Anyway, thanks for posting it over here!

Wow,they should keep it,restore it and not transforming it to a hotel.
I think they proposed to turn it into a few restaurants on the ground and the first floor and into NightClubs Terraces on the upper-floors

^^ Sounds nice.

But why is the delay?

The Solidere 2005 Annual Report talks about the Grand Theatre and how they will be transforming it into a boutique hotel by combining it with an existing small adjacent building and constructing a new building on an adjacent lot.

^^ Thanks LC. Hope that soon they'll continue the works.

Société Sémiramis

(22/06/2006)

http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/2347/semi01web6qv.jpg

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/1065/dscn09474hx.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/2945/dscn09486xk.jpg

Société Sémiramis]

do u know the use of the building (residential, office ?), and its location ?

do u know the use of the building (residential, office ?), and its location ?

It's residential and is located on the intersection of Weygand St. and Abdel Hamid Karame St.

Thanks you Naregkar for the picture, I love the front of that building!

The Capital Garden

Residential Apartments on Rafic Salloum Street.
Construction as of 22/06/2006.

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/4570/dscn09311fx.jpg

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/8271/dscn09309fh.jpg

edit.

Cooooooool,thanx nareg. GR8 JOB :)

tnxs Nareg

http://www.imagehosting.com/out.php/i15478_2.gif

^^Where did you find this?

Thanks Hassoun, this is similar to the other rendering but they added the Bay Tower which is great. I just wish the Bay tower wasnt so close to the Beriut Tower.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d184/rhmud/marina.png


I wish they would add La Residence though!

http://www.imagehosting.com/out.php/i15478_2.gif

i cant wait till Beirut is like that driving on that road will be cool

^^ I agree, nice picture Hassoun :), I only wish they kinda do something to the Holiday Inn hotel

i cant wait till Beirut is like that driving on that road will be cool


We r almost there,Three are almost done,one is rising so fast(PT),mmmm,donnu about Bay tower :) but just give it 2 years :)

Hehe,u welcome guys :D

Interesting Pic:

http://www.geoffstravelscrapbook.co.uk/main/images/lebanon/beirut12.jpg

It seems the Virgin Megastore was actually supposed to be an opera house again.

^^Interesting Beirut!, I wasn't aware that they were planning to originally restore it back to an opera house. Makes me wonder how plans suddenly changed.

Anyway,it's better now,a virgin megastore,if they r going to build an opera house in beirut,it should be bigger one,the virgin building is so small for an opera.don't u think so??????

No, an opera house cannot be too big, for reasons of sound quality (otherwise, you need special designs, as they did in Sydney, which would jack the price up enormously). But we are not sure that they are going to build an opera house per se. The sign says "the opera will be back", "the opera" is simply the name of the building -even when it was VMS- I think they would have publicized it if there was a plan to build an opera house, we have to wait and see.
I just hope it doesn't turn like the rest of downtown beirut: luxury housing for absentee landlords...

^^ Im confused... This is an old pic dating back to the mid-1990s before the opera was converted to the VMS. The VMS is here to stay and not going anywhere.

^^ yeah lol I was confused, Khayam this is an old rendering of when they were going to rebuild the opera house, but they changed planned and renovated the old opera house to the virgin megastore

Does anyone have info about the Beirut Theater building that's near Riad el Solh square? It's been waiting to be restored for agesss

OH!!! I was really surprised...now that clarifies it.. I thought that was a new pic, my thoughts went really far, I was even pondering how the "closure" of VMS reflects on the political fortunes of Elias el-Murr and how this could indicate a desire by him to liquidate his assets in Lebanon.
That is what happens to you when you stay away from Lebanon longer than you should.

Speaking of VMS does anyone have pix of the inside? i've never actually been in it..

^^^ you missed out, it is truly one of the coolest commercial spaces I've ever seen. Supposedly, Branson himself said that it is the nicest Virgin Store he's been to.
They did not try to hide the old opera, but instead integrated it into the design, the opera balcony serves as an internet cafe that overlooks the entire store. and the top floor has a cafe/restaurant with a beautiful view of downtown beirut.

Does anyone have info about the Beirut Theater building that's near Riad el Solh square? It's been waiting to be restored for agesss

Once we discussed about it in this thread. Nothing has been done till now...

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/8650/dscn08629vx.jpg

Hi there, im new to this forum but have been regularly checkin out the latest posts and projects. Quik question, will anyone be able to state where in Beirut Central the Solidere Rotana will be built?

Hi zouz,

Welcome to the Lebanon forum. Hope you enjoy your stay over here.

About Solidere Rotana Suites, it will be located behind Starco complex, on Adnan El Hakin Street.

For more info regarding this project, please visit its thread found here (http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=344432).

Also, visit its official site (http://www.rotana.com/factsheets/solidere.htm).

cheers... the websites were helpful. ur luky being in Beirut, watching the city grow nite n day..

Hey Zouz welcome to the forum :)

Welcome zouz, when was the last time you were in Lebanon? and when do you plan on visiting?

cheers... the websites were helpful. ur luky being in Beirut, watching the city grow nite n day..

Agree fully !

in Winter, 04.. i want to return hopefully next year in Summer

Marina project looks pretty nice.

wow go Lebanon !!

What a change!

1972
http://img286.imageshack.us/img286/2408/37104958153hb3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

1999
http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/8075/2581088zepurbqrsbphis5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

2006
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/6886/beirutmarina1dd1ip3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Indeed,impressive!!!!!!
thanx Nadini :)

the old marina was soooo tiny compared to the new one !

As of 03/11/2006

http://img273.imageshack.us/img273/1967/dscn1024jg2.jpg

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/8181/dscn1035il9.jpg

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/434/dscn1040mx2.jpg

^^ WOWWWWW lol tnxs Nareg those are just greaaaaat

WOW !! Great pics thanks

:eek: yes, simply amazing!

wow the two towers look great togather and such a wounder full day to take photoss

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek2: :eek2: :eek2:

THANX NAREG.

SPEECHLESS

Looking good...

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/3676/constructionxs4.jpg

woooooooow the platinum tower is rising :) thanx

^^h huh wwhere do u see that

lol .. maybe he ment one of the above pics ....
or he mistaken the maria Tower for it... jkz

great pics naregkar... thanks

in the first pic.. is that the monroe hotel

^^ Yes, the Monroe is on the far left, and going up right next to it is the Platinum Tower.

lol .. maybe he ment one of the above pics ....
or he mistaken the maria Tower for it... jkz

haha

^^ Yes, the Monroe is on the far left, and going up right next to it is the Platinum Tower.

Thanks Beirut!
I wonder if they have the foundation in place, or the zoning to go higher with the Monroe in the future.

http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/6672/beirutzj5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

that render confuess me ,,, it miust be old ! the marina is a dffrent shape !

^^ I don't know if it is a new render or old, but that is not the Beirut Marina. It is part of Beirut Port.

lol i now i see it

it'S an older render - i am not sure but it's created in the yyear of 96 :)

...............^^

GOSH<it's not the marina tower thread anymore:D

^^ I told you I was good. lol

Beirut...December 15th.

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/8848/dec15qo5.jpg

http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/6672/beirutzj5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


where are all the highrises? i mean apart from the ones listed earlier (the ones around the marina) i mean...isnt there gonna be a highrise business district? or somthing to form a skyline.
that area beeing filled should be highrise...medium-rise is getting soo boring in lebanon..its everywhere.

^^ that part is beside the Beirut Marina (the land built on water), its gonna take quite a while until buildings shoot up, the date of completion for the second phase of BCD is 2020-2025.

do u know the use of the building (residential, office ?), and its location ?

that looks good enough to be a public library or a museam...
one question...is there a public library in lebanon at all?

realy? 2020 2025? jeeesus..why that long?

that looks good enough to be a public library or a museam...
one question...is there a public library in lebanon at all?

Public Library of Aitat – the Toufic Assaf Cultural Center (Chouf, Mount-Lebanon)
Public Municipal Library of Aitit (South)
Public Municipal Library of Aley – the Municipality of Aley and the Aley Women's Association (Mount-Lebanon)
Public Library of Baadarane (Chouf, Mount-Lebanon)
National Library of Baakline (Chouf, Mount-Lebanon)
Public Library of Babliye – the Association for Solidarity and Social Development (South)
Public Library of Barouk (Chouf, Mount-Lebanon)
Public Library of Batroun (North)
1st Public Municipal Library of Beirut – the ASSABIL Association (Bachoura, Beirut)
2nd Public Municipal Library of Beirut – the ASSABIL Association (Geitawi, Rmeyl, Beirut)
Public Library of Beit Meri (Mount-Lebanon)
Public Municipal Library of Bocsmaya (Batroun, North)
Public Municipal Library of Hammana – the Nagib Abu Haidar Library (Baabda, Mount-Lebanon)
Public Library of Hermel (Bekaa)
Public Municipal Library of Jezzine (South)
Public Municipal Library of Joun (Mount-Lebanon)
Public Library of Kefraya al-Koura – the INMAA Association (North)
Public Library of Khreybet Chouf (Mount-Lebanon)
Public Library of Miniara (Akkar, North)
Cultural Center for Francophone Activities, Mtein, the Association for Words, Art and Light (Mount-Lebanon)
Public Library of Saida – the Maarouf Saad Center (South)
Public Library of the Cultural League in Tripoli (North)
Municipal Public Library of Zahleh
Bibliobus – AILES Association (South)
Bibliothèque Parlante (Library for the Blind) – YAB Association (Beirut)

realy? 2020 2025? jeeesus..why that long?

I guess because they still need to fill in the hole and build all those towers (we dont build at Dubai's rate and plus it includes all the project of the second phase... which includes other projects in and around BCD)

EDIT.

^^ Do you have to post this pic at all?

^^ Do you have to post this pic at all?

GONE :)

Here is a rendering of Wadi Abu Jamil...

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d184/rhmud/plan-01g.jpg

Downtown, up and coming
Lebanon’s thriving real estate sector beckons its heavy hitters back to the game
Benjamin Ryan, NOW Staff , June 19, 2008


Khalaf Habtoor, General Manager of Dubai-based investment company the Habtoor Group, wrote in Lebanese daily al-Mustaqbal on Wednesday, “Prioritizing social and economic issues, especially after the obstacles that had played against the economy of the country due to the internal and external political events, is highly important.” And indeed, despite the continuing unrest, the Lebanese appear to be getting back to business.

Tarek Sinno’s phone, for one, began ringing the day after Lebanese leaders signed their agreement in Doha. “Projects are starting, the ones that were kept on hold for a while. They're now restarting; it's going fast,” he said.

Sinno is a consultant with Nabil Gholam Architecture and Planning, an architectural design firm based in Beirut, and had been working on a high-end residential development in the city center, under siege by the opposition sit-in from December 2006 until last month. As the opposition tents were being going down in the wake of the Doha agreement, Solidere’s stock price was shooting up.

Habtoor added, “This country needs projects and huge investments. It also needs investment capital, not money placed in banks.”

In that spirit, Nabil Itani, Chairman and General Manager of the Investment Development Authority for Lebanon, told NOW Lebanon, “After the Doha agreement, I have had a lot of contacts who are looking for opportunities,” adding, “I expect the investment will exceed the $4 billion we saw in 2007.”

A Solidere spring?

Two of the largest real estate deals in Lebanese history, Phoenician Village and Beirut Gate, along with the comparably sized Landmark Project, represent the better part of $2 billion dollars in mixed residential and commercial investment combined. The projects were all put on hold during the 2006 July War, and the pro-opposition demonstrators that descended on downtown in December of that year subsequently squelched hopes that the projects would break ground any time soon thereafter.

Imad Nesnas, Chairman and CEO of Bonyan International, the company that brokered the sale of the first Beirut Gate plot, told NOW Lebanon that there was not yet any new schedule for the Beirut Gate project. He said, “We froze at one stage, and then Beirut became fine and we went back, and then all of a sudden the situation changed again and we pulled out again. So [B]at this stage we thought we'll give it a couple weeks and see how the situation is.”

Phoenician Village refunded its initial investors a year ago in the face of the continuing opposition sit-in, though no final cancellation notice was issued. Neither Levant Holdings, the project’s development company, nor Landmark have announced new construction schedules. Ziad al-Shaar, Landmark’s deputy general manager, told NOW Lebanon, “We are working on a new schedule to remobilize and restart our construction and timetable. Currently, we are coordinating with the Ministry of Culture,” which must review construction sites in downtown for archaeological significance before they break ground.

Shaar added, “There are a lot of projects starting, and archaeologists are in high demand. We are waiting on the excavation, and expect to begin work again within a couple months.”

Real estate running hot

Developments outside the sit-in zone, even those nearby, have been at most slowed by the recent turmoil. Itani said, “Arab investors and the international companies, and the Lebanese diaspora, really have always been willing to come to Lebanon. But now is the opportunity for these investors to come.”

Thomas Schellen, an editor with online business magazine Zawya, told NOW Lebanon, “The one project that started to move at least two months ago was the Lebanese Canadian Bank head office building, which was suspended. They started in March or April, around that time, to dig the hole for the construction site there, which was right next to the occupation zone.” :banana:Saifi II, a large scale residential project near the sit-in site, has been progressing slowly throughout the crisis and is now near completion.

Sinno noted that, during the crisis, “The prices of real estate kept going up, the demand for architects was really high. It's quite difficult to find people because the demand is really high.” Sinno saw a trend toward large projects being based outside of Lebanon, but “very few projects were stopped or put on hold; even those now are picked up.”

Schellen agreed, adding, “It wasn't that the real estate industry overall took such a bad situation compared with services and hospitality.” Numbers for construction permits in the first quarter of 2008 were positive, signaling that, even before the Doha Agreement, investors were willing to bet on Lebanon’s longer-term prospects.

Indeed, the Lebanese real estate sector has actually weathered the crisis of the past few years with surprising strength. Real estate prices have continued to climb, spurred by individual Lebanese expatriate and Gulf investors, and construction projects outside of the downtown area have continued apace. As the Gulf has become awash in money due to the rising price of oil, investors have been searching for opportunities to make use of that wealth. Itani reported, “The curve has been coming up in Arab foreign direct investment. In 2004 it, was $1.05 billion; in 2005, $1.87 billion; in 2006, $2.33 billion; and in 2007, it was $4.3 billion.”

That continuing strength is set to switch into high gear now. Itani said, “I'm expecting that the second part of 2008 and 2009 will be booming in Lebanon. We lost a lot of opportunities in these two years. Arab investors and international companies, as well as the Lebanese diaspora, have always been willing to come to Lebanon. But now is the opportunity for these investors to come.”

Can someone help identify the following Solidere projects?

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d184/rhmud/pjotpb.jpg

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d184/rhmud/cpsbb.jpg

^^ thats the Wadi Grand Residence
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=575978

^^ Oh yeah, thanks. But what about the second rendering?

Gulfcomms 2008: Orange Business Services and Solidere bring IPTV to Lebanon
Beirut's first IPTV service goes live



Dubai, 19 October, 2008: Orange Business Services and Solidere, the Lebanese company for the development and reconstruction of the Beirut Central District, have launched Lebanon's first IPTV service.


Since May 2008, residents in central Beirut have been enjoying 120 on-demand television channels with a range of movies, sports and TV programs streamed directly to their TVs over a state-of-the-art Metro Ethernet network. It is believed to be one of the first commercially available IPTV services in the Middle East, and the first to support broadcast and on-demand HDTV. The service has been delivered, installed, supported and integrated into the existing Solidere-operated private broadband network that was designed and deployed by Orange in 2006.


Lionel Reina, vice president of the Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region, Orange Business Services, said: "Beirut is a 21st century city so it deserves 21st century telecoms services. By bringing our expertise of developing broadband and IPTV services in Europe to Lebanon, we have created one of the most advanced IPTV services anywhere in the Middle East. This is just one step in our goal to enable Smart Cities throughout the region, where broadband is the fundamental building block for improved living and working."


Subscribers to the IPTV service receive an integrated home gateway and set-top box featuring a personal video recorder, which also supports time-shift TV and video-on-demand. Each subscriber has a 100 Mbps access line ensuring there is sufficient bandwidth for more than three simultaneous TV channels as well as high-speed Internet access.


The IPTV network is supported by the existing Solidere-operated private broadband network that was designed and deployed by Orange in 2006. This MPLS network supports a range of multimedia services alongside a scalable Internet gateway including video-on-demand, videoconferencing, closed circuit television, and gaming services.


Solidere's IPTV service, the first of its kind in Lebanon, is being implemented by Orange under its Solutions for Operators service.


Solutions for Operators specifically addresses the needs of existing or new telecoms operators like Solidere whose strategy is to offer next generation telecommunications services as a core component of their real estate developments to assure previously unobtainable revenue streams.

is it me or are they cutting the trees that block the view over the reclaimed part of BCD?

i dont know. but landscape wise those trees do not belong there, they just served as a natural fence blocking the reclaimed area. hopefully they replant them somewhere though. they will probably replace them with more palm trees(unfortunately)

i think they finished the reclamation. You can see the road grid now.

Does anyone know what's happening with the reclaimed land portion of the BCD, any projects, updates, pics, ANYTHING?? I've been staring at the google earth representation which is from 2006 and I feel lied to. lol

Hey uys i have a presentation on friday in school and im doing it about lebanon and for the part "recostruction of beirut" i need some information about the masterplan that i cant find!!!

Does anybody know the value of the whole projects till now in DT?????
And the number of Projects that till now were done and are being done?!!?
And the Total of the area of the whole BCD?!

Ineed a fast reply ppl thanks alot!

you want to check the solidere website and see the maps on their reports. The percentage and value of the projects is often posted. I hear very often that the project is around 20 billion $, but I think this is for the years prior to 2004. After that we had a couple projects that were each above 1 billion or 500 millions. So I would say between 20 and 30 billion dollars for the Beirut downtown area. Good luck with your project!!! What we really need to do is keep informing the world so they stop thinking we are Camel dwellers who live in a tent in the desert...:cheers:

^^ Yes I recall in some of the previous reports they list the total number of projects complete, in progress, etc.

Good Luck!

4 New Towers in one project

as per AL MUSTAQBAL newspaper today

أربعة أبراج جدد في استثمار
عقاري ضخم في "سوليدير"

المستقبل - السبت 21 آذار 2009 - العدد 3253 - بزنس - صفحة 14

باسم سعد

شهدت منطقة وسط بيروت منذ شهر تقريبا صفقة عقارية ضخمة اكدت عمق الثقة بالقطاع العقاري اللبناني رغم الازمة المالية العالمية التي تضرب بلدانا عدة.
فقد اشترى المقاول ورجل الاعمال السوري حسان صمادي، وشركاؤه الخليجيون قطعة ارض تبلغ مساحتها 55 ألف متر مربع في المنطقة الواقعة بالقرب من مبنى ستاركو وفندق "فينيسيا" وفندق "مونرو" بقيمة 200 مليون دولار اميركي اي ما يعادل خمسة آلاف دولار للمتر الواحد، حسب ما اكد مصدر بارز في شركة "سوليدير".
لكن تداعيات الازمة العالمية حالت دون سداده كامل قيمة الصفقة، الامر الذي حدا مجلس ادارة شركة "سوليدير" الى اتخاذ قرار بالتسهيلات في الدفع مشترطا اشراف مهندس معماري عالمي لامع على تصميم المشروع.
وفي معلومات لـ "المستقبل" ان صمادي وعشرة رجال أعمال خليجيين استعانوا بالمعمار البريطاني العالمي نورمان موستر وهو احد اهم المعماريين في العالم، وأسندوا اليه مهمة الاشراف على كل التصاميم.
وستقوم شركة S.V.PROPERTIES بتنفيذ مشروع يضم أربعة ابراج تربط بينها حديقة داخلية وفق أعلى المواصفات الدولية المعمول بها في هذا النوع من المشاريع، ويسمح العقار باقامة مساحة مبنية تصل الى 52 ألف متر مربع.
يذكر أن S.V. PRPOPERTIES شركة متخصصة بتنفيذ المشاريع السكنية الفخمة في لبنان ويشرف عليها المهندس صمادي نفسه الشريك الاساسي والعضو المنتدب. وكانت شركة "سوليدير" تعتزم اسناد مهمة الاشراف على البرج الذي كان مقررا إقامته مكان برج المر الى المعمار البريطاني موستر .
ويملك صمادي برج "بيروت تاور" الذي يقع على الواجهة البحرية لوسط بيروت مقابل "مارينا سوليدير"، ويطل على "بيروت سنترال بارك" الملاصق لـ"مارينا". وتبلغ مساحة الطابق نحو 1500 متر مربع بتكلفة اجمالية للبرج 140 مليون دولار. ويتوقع ان تطلق "سوليدير" في الاشهر المقبلة مراكز تجارية عدة فضلا عن افتتاح فندق "فور سيزنز" بالقرب من فندق "مونرو" على الواجهة البحرية.

It says that a Syrian businessman along with his partners from the gulf ,bought a land in the area of starco center and phoenicia hotel , that land is for building 4 towers linked by ' one indoor garden ' :nuts: , the architect would be NORMAN FOSTER based in London .

__________________________

I think this project will be announced after the elections maybe ? :dunno:

SOUNDS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like the Phoencian project

The indoor garden part sounds very interesting.

^^ and UNREAL :crazy:

Beirut: Building boom goes on
Date: March 19th, 2009

Despite the global financial crisis, the Lebanese economy has shown a remarkable resilience, in large part because international investors are still prepared to put their money in major real estate projects.

These are centered on Beirut and its environs.

In one recent deal, according to a source in the Solidere Company, Syrian contractor and civil engineer Hassan Samadi and 10 Gulf partners paid $200 million for a 55,000-square-meter plot in the high-value downtown area near the Starco Building, the Phoenicia Hotel and the Monroe Hotel.

However, because of the global credit crunch, Samadi’s group was unable to make full payment for the plot. Solidere, formed to rebuild and develop the war-ravaged downtown area in the 1990s, agreed to provide payment facilities.

However, the board of directors stipulated that an internationally known architect handle the overall design. Industry sources say that Samadi and his partners have asked British architect Norman Muster to take on the project.

The S.V. Properties Company, in which Samadi is a major partner and managing director, will be responsible for construction of the project that comprises four towers with a connecting garden. S.V. Properties specializes in luxury housing projects in Lebanon that are supervised by Samadi.

He also owns the $140 million Beirut Tower located on the downtown seafront facing the Solidere Marina, built on reclaimed land in the Normandie area, and overlooking Beirut Central Park adjacent to the Marina.

Solidere is expected to launch several commercial centers in Beirut in the coming months as well as opening a Four Seasons hotel near the Monroe on the seafront.

^^ Great news!

Does anyone know the exact plot that was purchased? And was this designated a high-rise area by Solidere?

Towers can be 15 stories..so doesnt have to be highrise...Altho, I would assume it would at least be similiar in hight to beirut tower or platinum tower..

feel free to use any of these images

courtesy of me :)

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/8900/dsc02748l.jpg

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/8003/dsc02749n.jpg

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/9536/dsc02750.jpg

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/5979/dsc02751z.jpg

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/4176/dsc02753.jpg

^^ Thanks for sharing! when were they taken, and more importantly, what took you so long to post them?

I was feeling Lebanon-sentimental last night so I looked up some old -forgotten- pictures in my photos folder..

They were taken sometime in early 2008 :dunno:

^^ Martyr Square, erected when Lebanese nationalists were hanged during World War I by the Ottomans.

I know they are redoing the square..but cant they throw on a coat of white paint and put flowers? Looks horrible.

Plus why did they ever build that high wall around it ..it was never like that before and after the war until its return. It used to have a beautiful platform high up with stairs around it.:ohno:

I can't understand how such important sites as Martyrs' Square and the Garden of Forgiveness can be left in limbo for so long... Maybe we should just concede and rename a few places around the city?

How about Martyred (by Unrewarded Patience) Square and,

The Wasteland of Forgiveness

Maybe someone can suggest alternatives?

^^ Well you know these sites are not profitable - I think they are focussing of the commercial areas of Solidere for now so the area can get back on its feet after being shut down due to the sit-in.

I can't understand how such important sites as Martyrs' Square and the Garden of Forgiveness can be left in limbo for so long... Maybe we should just concede and rename a few places around the city?

How about Martyred (by Unrewarded Patience) Square and,

The Wasteland of Forgiveness

Maybe someone can suggest alternatives?

:hm:

i must say the worst place in lebanon is downtown. soldiere did a horrible job. its not for the lebanese. if u go to downtown in any other season than summer it is empty. it is empty becuase it is not for the lebanese, it has no life, no spirit, no lebanese feel to it. its artifical. before the war the downtown was not only expensive botiques and cafes, but was a real downtown, it was natural it had a variety of shops and resturants quick authentic affordable lebanese cafes, hotdog, manaeesh stands, varietys of diffrent style souks. look at the hamra, because the hamra has this feel, it is filled with lebanese of all classes throughout the year, and always has a positive natural vibe to it. the worst thing i did this summer was visit downtown. i saw about 4 lebanese people in all downtown and im not joking. the cafes where playing khaleeji music for khaleeji people, everyone was from the gulf. its truly a pity especially when u see 1 or 2 eurpoean's staring in disbelief. seeing our downtown being trasformed to another dubai really sucks. soldiere messed up big time.

i must say the worst place in lebanon is downtown. soldiere did a horrible job. its not for the lebanese. if u go to downtown in any other season than summer it is empty. it is empty becuase it is not for the lebanese, it has no life, no spirit, no lebanese feel to it. its artifical. before the war the downtown was not only expensive botiques and cafes, but was a real downtown, it was natural it had a variety of shops and resturants quick authentic affordable lebanese cafes, hotdog, manaeesh stands, varietys of diffrent style souks. look at the hamra, because the hamra has this feel, it is filled with lebanese of all classes throughout the year, and always has a positive natural vibe to it. the worst thing i did this summer was visit downtown. i saw about 4 lebanese people in all downtown and im not joking. the cafes where playing khaleeji music for khaleeji people, everyone was from the gulf. its truly a pity especially when u see 1 or 2 eurpoean's staring in disbelief. seeing our downtown being trasformed to another dubai really sucks. soldiere messed up big time.

agree 100%. This summer in sahat el nejmé at the haagendazs I wanted to sit down with a friend on the terrace but they told me it was booked when there was nobody... I sat in front and I looked, nobody came ... Only 1 family khaliji... I will never return there...

I like Downtown..I took great pride in it when walking thought it and shoped around and all my family go to Downtown Beirut for shopping and dining.
the only issue I have is that, the BCD is over focused while other areas were decaying such as Jounieh. I dont think Downtown is another Dubai.

Again its the CBD and it has to look world class were alot banks, offices and business are located there.

But the problem is: Not enought Office space is there compared to the residential area which is mostly owned by wealthy Gulfers and Lebanese expatriates... So I have to agree, solidere did a great job with the architecture, but they have to add in the new district the same feel you get when in any big city downtown area: Life!
In my opinion what would change the situation is building more highrise office buildings so people would work there during the day, and open night clubs in the downtown under those buildings, so it is alive at night for us Lebanese...

What is above the restaurants and shops ... I allways thought they were offices. I see were you are coming from they need more office space etc.

i must say the worst place in lebanon is downtown. soldiere did a horrible job. its not for the lebanese. if u go to downtown in any other season than summer it is empty. it is empty becuase it is not for the lebanese, it has no life, no spirit, no lebanese feel to it. its artifical. before the war the downtown was not only expensive botiques and cafes, but was a real downtown, it was natural it had a variety of shops and resturants quick authentic affordable lebanese cafes, hotdog, manaeesh stands, varietys of diffrent style souks. look at the hamra, because the hamra has this feel, it is filled with lebanese of all classes throughout the year, and always has a positive natural vibe to it. the worst thing i did this summer was visit downtown. i saw about 4 lebanese people in all downtown and im not joking. the cafes where playing khaleeji music for khaleeji people, everyone was from the gulf. its truly a pity especially when u see 1 or 2 eurpoean's staring in disbelief. seeing our downtown being trasformed to another dubai really sucks. soldiere messed up big time.


All major international cities have a "touristic" center of the city that caters to visitors as opposed to locals. We should be happy that all this money is pouring into our economy - now we need to attract more DIVERSE tourists.

Not only that, i really can't understand those who say the downtown is not for the Lebanese, and this is not solidere's mistake whatsoever, the Lebanese immigrants by the way, spend 10 times more money in Lebanon than all khalejis together, even the local people, for the love of heaven, people keep nagging that there is poverty in Lebanon, well of course there is, poverty is everywhere in the world, but for god's sake just in skybar every night hundreds of thousands dollars are being spent by the locals alone... and if you ask me why those Lebanese who can afford going to downtown, are not going there anymore, well it's simply because of this stupid thing they call " Prestige " ... And solidere my friend is not really responsible for this Lebanese attitude, we should thank god for all the work solidere has done, i don't care if all they care about is profit, at least it's a million times better than having random unorganized filthy places like the southern suburb of beirut, which is by the way the most hideous place on the face of this planet, and please no1 interprets my words in politics, for i am not talking politics, i am just describing a horrible reality, which is that the southern suburb of Beirut is seriously hurtful for the eye, i feel ashamed whenever a foreigner gets to see that this is part of Lebanon, from the buildings to the streets to the jogs and electricity cables and garbage and everything ... So hell no i'd rather have solidere everywhere in Lebanon than having this ...

^^ Very good point -It's the Lebanese nationals/expats who are at all the nightclubs in the BCD. The reason why you dont see them in Nijmeh Square is simply because it is no longer interesting to the average Lebanese that get bored easily and are always wanting something new.

Exactly

^^ You are diverting from my point. My point is that downtown has NO LIFE WHAT SO EVER. Did you read my comment? right or wrong, that downtown is empty in any other time then summer, right or wrong that u only see khaliejis in the summer. im not trying to say anything against the money the economy is making from the khalieji downtown. and what the heck does skybar, white and other nightclube have to do with what im talking about. the only reason lebanese go to skybar and other nightclubs is because it has spirit, and life. so ur aurgument about nightclubs has nothing to do with what im saying. and beiruti sorry to break it to u downtown is no longer the touristic area, because not only any tourist(except gulf tourists) would rather go to the streets of hamra, gemazah, or raouche, they dislike downtown. they like its archetechure, but why should they visit lebanon to go to a place with no lebanese spirit, life or lebanese person in it?

Yes totally true Jader ,even Gulf tourists no longer go 2 DT ,dunno why,but I know that they prefer malls to DT

so tell me again where is the " Lebanese spirit " in skybar or white, beiroof or any other club, correct me if i'm wrong, but those clubs have nothing to do with the term "LEBANESE", and i believe you're the one who should read what i said again, i never said that people go to those places as an alternative for downtown, people go clubbing because they wanna go clubbing it's as simple as that, all i said is that there are so many rich people in Lebanon and mid-class who can afford to go to downtown, but they don't, and it's exactly this mentality that keeps them from going, " downtown is full of khalijee people so why would i as a Lebanese go there " besides just a few years back the downtown used to be full of Lebanese, and it's just like Beiruti said, the prestigious Lebanese get bored very easily and they want something new, and this is why they don't go to downtown anymore... and when you speak of the Lebanese heritage or the Lebanese spirit, i don't truly know what that is exactly, is it the Nargilah ??? although i don't find that an interesting thing to be listed in the Lebanese culture, but since 90% love to smoke it well you got plenty of it in downtown, or is it like you said earlier the " MANA2ESH and SAJ " or what exactly it is ??? this spirit you're talking about is made by people, should the Lebanese go to the downtown more often, you will find that spirit there.. and once again the reason why i contributed to this discussion is because you're putting the blame on solidere, while solidere hasn't done anything to push the Lebanese away, i mean who on the planet earth would be interested in attracting costumers only for 2 or 3 months, whereas they could attract costumers every day of the year ...

First of all i think you can figure out where the lebanese spirit is in the lebanese clubs.Its the lebanese spirit that makes skybar the number 1 rated club in the world. :bash: Second of all there is not alot of people who can afford downtown. And the mid-class is defiantly not part of them. Unless they go once every 2 weeks. Is that a practical downtown, where only the wealthy benefit, and can enjoy it. And let me tell u something is that even a nice downtown? The point is that's not even my argument from the beginning. I think u understand my point by now. Downtown is not practical because it is only for a small portion of the lebanese people. And that small portion is no longer enjoying to go to downtown anymore, because like i and many have said before downtown does not have the key, vital aspects an exciting, lively downtown should have. And believe it or not when a area has liveliness, spirit, and culture to it not only does it prosper much greater, people can and will enjoy it much more. And sorry but almost all lebanese locals, and most expatriates no longer share your "soldiere fanatic" opinions, and as a result like i have pointed out numerous times before DOWNTOWN IS EMPTY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND IS FOR THE KHALIJIS. Furthermore, me and lots of other users have given you guys various examples of this concept(hamra, gemaza, raouche, aley souk, bhamdoun souk, byblos, and pretty much the rest of lebanon) And i have a personal questinon for u and beiruti do u enjoy downtown better, or what i annie23, tabouleh, and fracoleb are describing. the big questinon is do u prefer life and spirit vs. artifical. and once again i consider nightclubs to be totally irrelavant to this discusssion. the only thing i do agree with u on is smoking and how lebanese consider it to be part of their culture.

Then smoking must be one of the things I hate most of Lebanese culture, because I personnaly cannot tolerate Arguileh smoke LOL!

Then smoking must be one of the things I hate most of Lebanese culture, because I personnaly cannot tolerate Arguileh smoke LOL!

Argileh smoke dosent even slightly annoy me, but its the cigarettes that cannot even stand! they smell soo bad

hmm I remembered I had this pic from the last time I was walking back from Gemmeyze back on sept 6. I saw this, does anyone know if work has restarted on the garden of forgiveness? or is this something to do with the church?
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/8850/forgiveness.jpg

^^ This was the demolition of that eye-sore building in-between the church and the garden.

Are you sure? The house was demolished a long time ago, and this photo was taken last month.

um it looks scary i hope its not over the ruins

Are you sure? The house was demolished a long time ago, and this photo was taken last month.

Sorry, you are right - I didnt realize the date. It does look chaotic and the fence is gone...

Here is a pic after the demolition...


http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d184/rhmud/1-16.jpg

So maybe now they are cleaning up?