The Beirut Trade Center

Beirut, Lebanon


Stats

Floors: 40
Built: 1975
Status: Construction Halted/Renovation Process underway

Note:This tower is also known as the "Al Murr Tower"

Construction was halted in 1975 when war broke-out. Today the building is not in use, but is proposed to be turned into the Beirut Trade Center. The renovation plans are currently On Hold.


Currently looks like this:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/8832/beiruttradecenter24xq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/5342/1514beirutalmurrtower3ef.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Rendering of new BTC:

http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/9770/beiruttradecenter0bg.gif (http://imageshack.us) http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/6039/3226061hoshiqqgpiph7ch.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/9770/beiruttradecenter0bg.gif
^It looks absolutely stunning!. ;)

I hope they will rebulit it as soon as possible. ;)

we had this discussion already, I believe it will not be renovated due to the weak structure. The concrete won't withold the building. It will be to expensive to demolish it then rebuilt it again... Not sure what they will do with it

They can't leave it this way also.they have to do something about it.

its the most ugylist building in Beirut !

It will be a shame if this renovation never takes place.

nice nice nice!

Has anyone heard anything on this building yet, we dont know if they will renovate it or not, I went to the office in Beirut when I first got there and the spokewoman told me that it will be renovated. But reports says the base of the building is to weak to support the building itself, so what will the case be?? demolish then rebuild?

^^ It is a complicated mess... what office did you go to Nadini?

Im sure it will be renovated because like Hassoun said, something MUST be dont it cant stay like that...

They need to find a way to strengthen the concrete at the base. The whole thing will just be way too expensive.

Leaving it like this is an eye soar. Looks very tall building.

^^ its a very tall building, I think one of the tallest.
Beirut! I went to the main office of solidere, they show a 3d map of the historical area of Beirut and the masterplan, and different images of Beirut's reconstruction phase. The picture of post #6 is in the office I went to.

I spoke to my cousin about this building and he told me that there are several problems with the building itself including its structural integrity and the way that it is designed. This was realized after they conducted some studies.

However, the main reason why nothing is being done is because of politics. This building was owned by Gabrielle Murr, who was minister of interior in the Lebanese government and he is the reason why the transformation to the Beirut Trade Center (BTC) did not ever materialize.

Here is an email I got from Solidere back in April 2003:

Dear Ahmad,

Thanks for your encouraging words in general, about Beirut's
reactivated
and very lively city center.

The BTC project is still somewhat in limbo, due to the stoppage placed
on
it several years ago by the then Interior Minister. He claimed that the
demolition permit we had obtained was somehow not valid, and he wanted
to
'buy' the building back at the then depressed share value. Fortunately,
the SOLIDERE shareholders helped prevent this at the time. Of course
the
investors in the project melted away - I think the building was more
than
60% pre-let. Right now the office market is pretty weak. However, I
fully
expect this to recover as soon as the regional situation improves. We
are
beginning to attract international players back to Beirut, and to
reposition the city regionally. Once we install Broadband and other
sophisticated telecoms/CTV services, as currently in planning, Beirut
city
center will be able to distinguish itself nationally, as well as from
other competing cities in the region.

So, in the not-too-distant future you will see a modern 'intelligent'
office complex rising, where the Murr Tower once stood - equaling the
very
best office environment available anywhere in the region - in the heart
of
Beirut.

Best regards, and thank you for your interest,
Angus Gavin
Manager, Urban Development Division,
SOLIDERE

My cousin told me that once something is finally done, it will most probably be demolished and a new building will be built in its place and it will not necessarily look anything like the renderings posted above which are from 1998. He told me they were at one point even considering something low.

^^ well one thing i dont understand, how come in the main office in Solidere they advertise the tower designed in 1998 and have a model in their 3d map of Beirut?

^^ well one thing i dont understand, how come in the main office in Solidere they advertise the tower designed in 1998 and have a model in their 3d map of Beirut?

Because they still don't exactly know what they are going to do with it, so they might as well leave it.

They used to have another big model just of the BTC (a very nice and detailed model), but last time I was there, they removed it.

^^ alright I guess we have to wait and see

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/6026/dscn2389sm0.jpg

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

beirut, where did u get this info from? can u give me a link to this website/page whatever?

^^ soooo there planing on repairing and renovating the building then

^^ I dont think anyone knows for sure at this point.

beirut, where did u get this info from? can u give me a link to this website/page whatever?

It was listed on the h2i website (www.h2i.org (http://www.h2i.org)), although I am pretty sure this information is quite dated. I just figured I would post it although we cant be certain how reliable it is.

^^ i think that website is a bit dated because they have projects that have been built allready such as that UN building waves water park

yea i think it is outdated but sure cheers!

Murr Tower

Friday, July 20, 2007


The unmistakable tower was still under construction when the civil war broke out in 1975: Architect Kamal Mjais from Cord International had finished building the first 22 floors when construction was temporarily suspended. A few years later, the tower’s investors began again. “We gradually completed the construction of all 40 floors, including the infrastructure,” Gabriel Murr told NOW Lebanon.

Like many of Beirut’s tallest buildings during the civil war, “The tower constituted a strategic military spot for militias, like Palestinians, Mourabitoun, and at a later stage, the Syrians, whose militants were able to overlook and bomb East Beirut,” said Murr.

When Solidere decided in the 90s to widen their plan to include the area where the tower stands, the two owners, brothers Michel and Gabriel Murr, decided to sell Bourj al-Murr to Solidere. In total, the building was estimated to be worth $12 million, “but we were under the impression that it was worth more, so Solidere promised to compensate us at a later stage.”

Gabriel and Michel Murr, both prominent, wealthy politicians in their own right, have long been at loggerheads with one another. Co-financiers on many projects in the 70s and early 80s, political divisions and personal rivalries have driven the two apart over the years. Gabriel famously ran against his niece Mirna, Michel’s daughter, in Metn by-elections in 2002 and beat her by a narrow margin, though he never took office. Their children, like Mirna, are also significant players in Lebanese politics, and sit on both sides of the political spectrum.

Because the brothers don’t talk with each other very frequently, Gabriel noted, “I later learned that Michel Murr had made intimidating attempts, using the building’s significance, to get personal payments from Prime Minister Rafik Hariri for around $2.5 million.” He then intimated that it might have been even more.

NOW Lebanon, however, was unable to confirm the accuracy of this statement with Michel Murr or elicit further details.

As for Bourj al-Murr’s legal status, Gabriel Murr said that it now belongs to Solidere and that no one has the right (or interest) to reclaim it. “Anything in Lebanon can be used to serve a political agenda, including the tower, which is not really valuable today, and needs to be demolished,” he said.

Solidere hasn’t yet decided its fate, but Murr believes that they have only two options: to either demolish or renovate it.

^^ Is there a relation to Defense Minister Elias el Murr?

^^Yes,Michel l murr is Elias' father

Does anyone know how tall this building is in meters?

Wow this is like Dubai-status!
I hope they bring this project back for renovation. It would be so nice!

i wish they would let zaha hadid or bernard khoury redesign this. it's banal. just boring ornament

Does anyone know how tall this building is in meters?

I think it is 165 meters, but I'm not 100% sure. It is somewhere in that range though.

i wish they would let zaha hadid or bernard khoury redesign this. it's banal. just boring ornament

This design is from the 90's. It's very possible that it will look nothing like the renderings.

did they ever resolve the issue with Murr? I think i read that they did

Perhaps this news will give a push for this project:

But it added that there was a shortage of good quality office accommodation within the Beirut Central District (BCD), which has led to rent values in the capital to grow by 14 percent over the year. The increase in office-space rent in the BCD was higher than the region's rental growth of 9 percent and above the global increase of 3 percent worldwide in 2008.

The BCD also ranked 4th among the top 10 most expensive locations in the Middle East & Africa region in 2008. It also, ranked among the top 10 best performing locations in the region with an annual rental growth of 14 percent last year, behind Abu Dhabi with 33 percent, Durban in South Africa with 30 percent, Cape Town with 20 percent and Johannesburg with 18 percent. Hong Kong is the world's most expensive city for office space at 1,743 euros per square meter a year.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=3&article_id=100080

^^ its a very tall building, I think one of the tallest.
Beirut! I went to the main office of solidere, they show a 3d map of the historical area of Beirut and the masterplan, and different images of Beirut's reconstruction phase. The picture of post #6 is in the office I went to.

nadini... where is the office located?? i'm going to beirut this summer and i would like to go there to get some info... if you could tell me where it is ii would appreciate it!! thnx

I tried to read an article from 4/2006 but you have 5 seconds before it fades out because u need to subsribe (zawya). As post 26 points out all legal litigation is over and owned by solidere. Mr. Chamma points out that they plan on going forward with the project after the next 4 years...of course alot happened from 4/06...i guess its still on,..,

^^ Take a screen cap really quick and save the article as an image.

Nothing is going to happen soon, because now they have put up a huge ad on the building.

^^ I dont think we expected anything really.

How large is the billboard? Is it an eyesore?

Every time i see this thread up again, I get very excited! although deep down I know that the abandoned Murr tower will be around for years to come :gaah:

^^ It about takes up the center of the building. It actually kinda takes from the building's ugliness.

What is it an ad for ?

I saw from very far on my way to the airport and thought it was a render for the bldg ?

Its an ad for the fire fighters the government got. (the new helicopters that will combat forest fire)

http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu287/Nadini234/tomcharlesjr-1.jpg
tomcharlesjr

so im guessing if Solidere still has this in their masterplan, there's still a big chance for this tower to be renovated
courtesy of lebtrek
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu287/Nadini234/3899266653_8b07694f68_b.jpg

does anyone know if anything new about this project is up... cz i really would like to see this project moving forward.

i actually just made my account on here so i don't know alot about the website buttt
http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&lng=3&id=beiruttradecenter-beirut-lebanon
i found this website that said it was still to be constructed.. so that's good.. :D



it needs to be renovated, it would make the city look 25 times better.

From what i've heard, the Murr family still owes the contractor some money which it never paid from the towers construction.

Does anyone know how tall this building is in meters?
126m

Does anyone know how tall this building is in meters?

126m

42 floors x 3 = 126m

42 floors x 3 = 126m

in order to see the design please go the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=260119&id=520421222

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=7015101&id=520421222&ref=fbx_album&fbid=471384626222

Yeah ...ok. ok... sure I like the design! It kind of reminds me of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.