From Almustaqbal newspaper

المجموعة العقارية الاماراتية تنفذ
مشروع "جزيرة الأرزة" في بحر بيروت

المستقبل - السبت 30 كانون الأول 2006 - العدد 2490 - بزنس - صفحة 11

وصل الى بيروت مساء أمس رئيس مجلس ادارة المجموعة العقارية و"العقارية الفضائية" رجل الأعمال اللبناني المهندس الدكتور محمد صالح يرافقه المدير العام لمحطة العقارية وسيم المنديل.
وكان في استقبالهم في صالون الشرف في مطار بيروت المستشار القانوني للمجموعة المحامي رشيد أيوب والمحاميان عبد الله عيتاني وخليل قباني والمستشار المالي الخبير بشارة أيوب.
وقال صالح بأن الهدف من زيارته لبنان لتفعيل الدور الاستثماري البنّاء في هذه الآونة التي تشهدها الأوساط اللبنانية وخاصة خلال موسم الأعياد المباركة، وقد أشاد الدكتور صالح بأن مشروع جزيرة الأرزة والمزمع اقامته من قبل العاصمة بيروت وصولاً الى عمق البحر، بعد أن تم الحصول على موافقة معظم المستثمرين الخليجيين والعرب في هذا المشروع العملاق والذي يعكس الايمان بلبنان أفضل لمستقبل أجمل.
هذا وقد كان الدكتور محمد صالح قد قام بزيارة سابقة الى لبنان وعرض المشروع يرافقه وفد رفيع المستوى الى الجهات المختصة للمباشرة بطرح الفكرة والمشروع قيد الاستثمار والذي تأتي عنه مبادرة قيّمة من قبل رؤوس الأموال لدول مجلس التعاون الخليجي.
وتجدر الاشارة الى أن الدكتور محمد صالح والذي يرأس مجلس ادارة المجموعة الاعلامية وتلفزيون العقارية يرأس أيضاً مجموعة ضخمة من الشركات العالمية العملاقة.
هذا وسوف يتجه بعد غد الدكتور صالح الى عدد من الدول الخليجية بدعوة رسمية لطرح العديد من المشارع الاستثمارية المشتركة.

The island will take the shape of a CEDAR.
No more details released.

To be honest with u guys,i don't want this really to happen,Beirut peninsula looks gr8 as it's,we don't need a weird piece of land coming out of it into the sea,,what do u think?????

How unique .... NOT!!! against it!!! lets take the money they would spend on this and spend it on the Cedar forests

I like the idea of an island but is such a thing feasible given the sea is very deep off Beirut coast?!

I would have to see a rendering before I make any comments. Also, would someone be able to translate the text for all to understand?


PS. I had to move this thread to this section until we can make an official thread once the project is confirmed and more info is available.

A pathetic attempt to copy the UAE. I am completely against this project.

Lebanon does not need to join the pissing contest of the UAE in order to prove itself.

i was reading this really old Beirut plan in 1991 and there were planing to build an island when they decided not to. maybe they changed there minds ?

A pathetic attempt to copy the UAE. I am completely against this project.

Lebanon does not need to join the pissing contest of the UAE in order to prove itself.


Actually, well unlike the Gulf, Beirut has very limited vacant plots of land to build on. The Gulf states have endless desert to build on and thats why they dont need islands, but in our case it may be necessary... I dont see this as being much more different than the landfill at the Beirut Marina or the one in Dbayeh.

Actually, well unlike the Gulf, Beirut has very limited vacant plots of land to build on. The Gulf states have endless desert to build on and thats why they dont need islands, but in our case it may be necessary... I dont see this as being much more different than the landfill at the Beirut Marina or the one in Dbayeh.


But,this one will take the shape of a CEDAR tree,,,it won't look Natural ,,i don't know....i'm against it.But we have to wait and see.

ur against it u just said Good news in ur first post :s
what does the whole thing say .

Good news koz some investors are still interested in pouring money into lebanon.that's it.

i am not sure if the Mediterranean Sea is a good place for this island. It's very windy there.

I dont believe Lebanon needs this island at the moment or in the near future, there are plenty of other unique alternatives such as further developing in Beirut proper... and what makes it so unique or differents from similar projects taking place in the middle east such as Dubai???

But,this one will take the shape of a CEDAR tree,,,it won't look Natural ,,i don't know....i'm against it.But we have to wait and see.


Well none of the islands in the Gulf look natural either (the Palm trees, The World, etc).

I dont think they will build this, i mean the med is windy and it could get nasty in winter time, and the coast is way to deep and we have valuable species (or had not sure if they all left cuz of the oil spill lol), building this island will ruin marina life and it might be dangerous, I would say no. The Cedar is nice and all but its just not... Lebanon to do that.

^^ not to mention the fact that it wouldn't last with the kind of waves/wind/rain that we have .... its just a bad drunken mistake of an idea overall... and I still think the gov't should b more proactive about doing more for the lebanese cedar forests

^^ lol honnestly, spend all the money on the forest, I just dont think this island is right

^^ The investors don't care about trees and forests!! the $$ is in the real estate

it will be wired Lebanon haveing an Island Maps will have to Change !

^^ :lol:

please NO... that's all I'm gonna say. we have enough areas inside Lebanon that need redevelopment.

hmm i think it would be cool?? .. hmm i dun exactly see why you're so many against it.. it will make lebanon more like 'international' or just 'famous' for the cedar island.. like maybe a new distinctive feature for lebanon as the eifel tower in paris or the freedom statue of new york .. we don't have such marks.:cheers:

Lebanon is already famouse for its Cedar Tree's

its an oldish topic but i think extending the beirut peninsula (on the BCD side)would be a better idea (and much cheaper since they could use the long port wall (that extends into the see) as a support. they could build a completely new city (and perhaps a highrise district, and i mean HIGHRISE..50+, to create a skyline! ) a city isnt a city without a skyline! duh! hmm its hard to explain...i'll try to draw smthin and uplaod it later..
anyway..the fake island thing is too much of a dubai thing.. lebanon has the natural surroundings and beautiful coast to do much more than a fake island.
+ ofcourse dubai has money to burn..lebanon doent (at the moment anyway).

oh...one more thing.. adding to my previouse comment... why doesnt the government focus on fixing the economy and paying its debt..creating more jobs to satisfy the 400,000 unemployed. FIXING THE ROADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! .etc... THEN they shud thing about this extra projects.

I found this article in « Le Commerce Du Levant » magazine, and it dates from december 2006

Cedar’s Island, un projet émirati sur le littoral nord du Liban

La société de développement immobilier (Sharikat el-Tatwir el-Ikari) basée a Dubaï envisage de lancer un projet immobilier d’une valeur de 1,2 milliard de dollars, sur le littoral nord du Liban. Cedar’s Island est un projet péninsulaire conçu sous la forme d’un cèdre. Il est prévu qu’il s’étende sur une surface de 4 millions de mètres carrés dont 1,2 millions de remblais et 0,8 de plan d’eau. Il regroupe 4 hôtels, plusieurs restaurants, une zone résidentielle représentant 13% de la surface totale du projet, un parc de loisirs, des espaces verts… La préparation des plans est en cours, ainsi qu’une étude sur la nature géologique du projet.

Translation &summary:
Value of the project: 1,2 billions
Size of the island: 4 millions m2
Location: North Lebanon
There will be 4 hotels, a leisure park, green spaces, a residential area (13% of the island)
The plans are being prepared

I say why would anyone be against it..its in the North..and its a private development..I think the cedar shape is not classy but why not?The north needs it.

^^these dubai-esque tree shaped artificial islands are ridiculous...who cares what they're shaped like, they'll only be visible from space, dumb dumb lol

I'm with this project cause it will be bring more and more tourits and Why to be angainst a development project??Think about it: 4 new hotels and since it's on an artificial it MuSt be 5 stars. And it will be a new Landmark for LeBaNoN

Well we will be able to see it from the mountains LOL

this is soo lame!!! a cedar island off the coast of beirut! shou hal habal! the uae and their neighbours have been copy pasting our city for years and now WE want to take an idea from them! lol this is pathetic! we dont need a stupid man made island to create a buzz for our city, nor do we need to build a gold plated hotel and put it on our number plates! how shallow! our country and city is known worldwide as a beautiful city, and saying the word Beirut to ppl speaks for itself!
man, if these countries could take Beirut, and rename their capital city Beiut, they probably would!!!

AMEN

I agree with Rezam, the UAE have copy MANY things from our country......
Why should we do it?

Some people dont even got food every day, and they wan to build an Island that coust A BILLION ???

We dont even have a president, and they wan to build an Island that coust A BILLION ???

ALL the lebanese bridges were they tottaly destroyed during the juli war, and they wan to build an Island that coust A BILLION ???

The south is full of mines and bombs - it coust something to get ret of it...'

The streets a dirty and full of shit (;)) - and they wan to spend money on a damn island..

In 15 years there was a brutal war in Lebanon, it destroyed the country completly!
The street of Beirut was a hell, thank Hariri ;) - It is getting much better!

Why not spend the money on the amazing cedar forrest ?
Spend the money in Beirut.....

First they wan to spend money ro build it - and then they wan to spend a lot of many on it!

Like Tripolis said, we have enough areas INSIDE Lebanon that need redevelopment.....'

No wait - buy us a president!!! ;)

LOL This isnt the goverment its a private development lol

LOL This isnt the goverment its a private development lol

So what ? Is the men not lebanese ? :)

Will they not help there country ? :)
It is just my opinion :)

^^I don't think he is
"Cedar’s Island, un projet émirati sur le littoral nord du Liban

La société de développement immobilier (Sharikat el-Tatwir el-Ikari) basée a Dubaï envisage de lancer un projet immobilier d’une valeur de 1,2 milliard de dollars, sur le littoral nord du Liban."

TRANSLATION: Cedar's Island, an emirati project on the north coast of Lebanon. the dev. company "sharikat el Tatwir el Ikari", based in Dubai, is willing to launch a 1,2 billion dollars project[...]"

i dont know but i think these money can be spent more wisely and i dont mean "buying a president(lol btw)" their s too many great investments ideas and more creative (not copying)

^^^north coast of lebanon? so its not beirut? phew...
anyway, yea i mean i'm not against expanding the city and creating more land, but please let them have a bit of common sense and good taste..(a cedar? wtf..lame, something simple and straightforward will be much more elegant IMO, simple=beautiful))

^^ i guess they meant jounieh........>???

are they seriously going through with this? this is ridiculous!

^^ shefte.......bass i think their not serious and if they were they changed their minds i guess now...i dunno ........BG where did u get the info?

I will have to see a rendering before I make any judgements...

I found this article in « Le Commerce Du Levant » magazine, and it dates from december 2006

Cedar’s Island, un projet émirati sur le littoral nord du Liban

La société de développement immobilier (Sharikat el-Tatwir el-Ikari) basée a Dubaï envisage de lancer un projet immobilier d’une valeur de 1,2 milliard de dollars, sur le littoral nord du Liban. Cedar’s Island est un projet péninsulaire conçu sous la forme d’un cèdre. Il est prévu qu’il s’étende sur une surface de 4 millions de mètres carrés dont 1,2 millions de remblais et 0,8 de plan d’eau. Il regroupe 4 hôtels, plusieurs restaurants, une zone résidentielle représentant 13% de la surface totale du projet, un parc de loisirs, des espaces verts… La préparation des plans est en cours, ainsi qu’une étude sur la nature géologique du projet.

Translation &summary:
Value of the project: 1,2 billions
Size of the island: 4 millions m2
Location: North Lebanon
There will be 4 hotels, a leisure park, green spaces, a residential area (13% of the island)
The plans are being prepared

^^

^^ shefte.......bass i think their not serious and if they were they changed their minds i guess now...i dunno ........BG where did u get the info?

I say go for it. If someone has the ability to spend $1 billion on an environmentally friendly, cedar shaped island without needing 100LL of taxpayer money I don't see what the problem is. It'll only bring more tourists to the north. I honestly don't see this happening though

^^^its not about bringing in tourists. building such an island will kill the whole essence of a "city". what they're doing is building little mini-cities here and there...if they go through with this say farewell to a prospective 'real' Downtown Beirut.

and besides, a cedar island is tacky, and very fake...Dubai needs those fake islands coz they have nothing, lebanon on the other hand...don't let me start...

^^^its not about bringing in tourists. building such an island will kill the whole essence of a "city". what they're doing is building little mini-cities here and there...if they go through with this say farewell to a prospective 'real' Downtown Beirut.

and besides, a cedar island is tacky, and very fake...Dubai needs those fake islands coz they have nothing, lebanon on the other hand...don't let me start...

Beirut itself has 2 million+ residents and thats enough to support a real downtown that caters to Beirutis before wealthy tourists. Kaslik and Jounieh are great places to visit and they didn't seem to hurt tourism at all. Something like this would be great for all of Lebanon since you can't really visit Lebanon without visiting its capital. And many cities have artificial islands, not only Dubai. If done right, it could work very nicely with the city. Look at Danube Island in Austria as an example. It didn't take anything away from the city (Lebanon is the size of many cities) it added to it

ITS OFFICIAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:

Al Hokair Group to Launch” Cedar of Lebanon” Project

Saudi based company Al Hokair Group for Tourism & Development
is planning to launch a touristic and commercial project in Lebanon.
The latter consists of a man-made island in the form of a Cedar
Tree that will be built on the Lebanese coast covering more than 1
million square meters. The project will require total investments of
more than 3.75billion Saudi Riyal ($1 billion) and will be financed by
investors from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.
According to Abdel Mohsen Al Hokair, chairman of Al Hokair
Group, this project will enhance trading and investment activities
and will open new business opportunities to Saudi and Lebanese
investors.

I agree john2890, Why do we need a cedar Island!!! They should invest that money in planting and preserving the real cedars. It is really tacky, it will look unnatural. Can't they invest that money to build buildings in the already existing city.

Or if they are going to build an island, why make it look so artificial on purpose!!

ITS OFFICIAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:

Al Hokair Group to Launch” Cedar of Lebanon” Project

Saudi based company Al Hokair Group for Tourism & Development
is planning to launch a touristic and commercial project in Lebanon.
The latter consists of a man-made island in the form of a Cedar
Tree that will be built on the Lebanese coast covering more than 1
million square meters. The project will require total investments of
more than 3.75billion Saudi Riyal ($1 billion) and will be financed by
investors from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.
According to Abdel Mohsen Al Hokair, chairman of Al Hokair
Group, this project will enhance trading and investment activities
and will open new business opportunities to Saudi and Lebanese
investors.

That's nice!!!!!!

i am all the way with this one,is it going to be on Jounieh's coast???

Big mistake. Just take a look at the Palm Islands on Google Earth. It looks so unnatural and so out of place.

I don't mind an island off the coast, but to shape it like a cedar tree is just plain tacky. Hopefully it doesn't get off the ground.

Also, it needs government approval. There was a major uproar over the Sannine Zenith project which just got over the line. This one may not be so lucky.

oh god i hope this gets cancelled...They should instead think about cleaning the few beaches we've got left!!

^^this is gonna create even more beaches.

^^ Also it will create more jobs, which is a surplus to the Lebanese Economy

Al hokair to invest 10billion dollars in Lebanon

''Abd El Mohsen Hakir company is looking to invest 10 billion dollars. According to the chairman the project will be called Lebanon’s Cedar, it will take the shape of the Lebanese Cedar and it will be constructed in the sea. The project comprises Saudi, gulf and Lebanese investment. This project will create over 100000 jobs.''

Honestly, if some developer wants to create a project, okay. I mean, I understand that there's a lot inside of Lebanon that needs work, but developers don't care about that, UNFORTUNATELY. Their job is to create a market that didn't exist before. BUT, can't they just make an island or something that's NOT shaped like a Cedar Tree? Talk about devaluing a gorgeous symbol. This is about as classy as when, I don't know if this happens outside the US, some brand of canned soup isn't selling so they start making it with differently shaped pieces of pasta. Whoever thought of this needs to be drug out into the street and shot. This is the sort of thing that belongs in Florida or the UAE, not a country with heritage and class. Someone needs to force the developers to make a nice, sane, square piece of land before construction starts so that their body can be buried in it for even suggesting to have a novelty shaped piece of land protrude from the coast.

LOL OMG...i think its tacky also..i guess it really just depends on where and how exactly it is shape...look at the cedar on the flag..will it be a squared off design or rounded edges? Will they go for a more natural look? (sand beaches instead of rocks) ..will it be lush and green? its very palm like..IS trumps tower that was supposed to go on the Palm (cancelled) be built there?

If built out it can be serious competition to the BCD...247 acres little more than half of downtwn beirut(including extension)I just hope its in the north..they can use it more..If in the south it would spoil the natural beached etc..

Honestly, if some developer wants to create a project, okay. I mean, I understand that there's a lot inside of Lebanon that needs work, but developers don't care about that, UNFORTUNATELY. Their job is to create a market that didn't exist before. BUT, can't they just make an island or something that's NOT shaped like a Cedar Tree? Talk about devaluing a gorgeous symbol. This is about as classy as when, I don't know if this happens outside the US, some brand of canned soup isn't selling so they start making it with differently shaped pieces of pasta. Whoever thought of this needs to be drug out into the street and shot. This is the sort of thing that belongs in Florida or the UAE, not a country with heritage and class. Someone needs to force the developers to make a nice, sane, square piece of land before construction starts so that their body can be buried in it for even suggesting to have a novelty shaped piece of land protrude from the coast.

Very true but what I am hoping for is IF it will be built, they cover the whole island with Cedar Trees so it completely looks green from top, it will be very symbolic especially when you land it will be home welcoming to everybody. However I don't think this will be a reality, the waters off the med. sea is way to rough for a man made island in Lebanon.

It would ruin the Lebanese coastline!
The only reason they're reclaiming lands in the UAE (Nakheal ..), Qatar (Pearl), .. is because they have this straight coastline which leaves less room for luxury sea-side real estate.
We have a gorgeous sea-side, rocky int the north and sandy in the south..
The only sense I could make for why would a person go with this project is that they're Saudis


And guys, from a technical point of view. Isn't the Lebanese sea bed very deep? especially in the north?
I know for a fact that the depth of the area just by the Beirut port is 15 meters..

What about where the material comes from?..they better not demolish mountains

Very true but what I am hoping for is IF it will be built, they cover the whole island with Cedar Trees so it completely looks green from top..

Lebanon Cedar grow at altitudes of 1,000-2,000 m (3,300–6,500 ft)

But yes I agree it would look nice when landing, and from Harissa or any other mountainous village over looking the coast

^^Yes,just imagine if this is gonna be built off the coast of Jounieh,the View from Harissa is gonna look :eek:

Im waiting the renderings but it sounds inharmonious.

^^Yes,just imagine if this is gonna be built off the coast of Jounieh,the View from Harissa is gonna look :eek:

but it would totally destroy jounieh bay.... if this has to be built somewhere and i hope it dsn't it should be built parallel to the Dbayye/ Antellias area ... that way it nourishes an area that needs nourishing and dsnt affect any coastal tourist development because there isnt any...a good idea would be making it an extension to the dbayye marina project that way it gets built and speeds up the building of the marina which has been stagnant for 10 yrs now ....or it can be built in the area next to the borj hammoud dump in dora that area need a corniche but if it gets built there it would in a way disrupt the port entrance or something of the sort ...

I was checking out how big 250 acres is...Its about half the size of the bcd..Its also smaller than Qatar Pearl(997 acres). I think its big but its not going to be monstrous..i think everyone is thinking of the Dubai Palms etc..Its nowhere even close in size

^^ thats good , at least in my opinion

I think they should go for it. As AmeriLEB pointed it out, it's not huge. Beside, it will create many jobs, will have many green spaces (cf. LCDL 2007) and will put Lebanon on the Real Esatse and economy map again.

Question: Will it coast $1Billion or $10Billion ?

^^ I guess one Billion.

Courtesy of Mr.Ian
http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo305/Nadini23/2978125235_d7ee5ab4bb_b.jpg

look how beautiful that is.... imagine an island in the middle of ...total destruction

Well I'm not so sure...because if Phoenician Village alone will cost 1.2 Billion; an artificial island would definitely cost more.

Actually that's not beautiful anymore :( look at the buildings on the slopes :ohno:

^^ so u propose additional destruction rather than preservation?

^^No one said the island would be built there! And I don't think anyone would be that idiot to build an island off Jounieh's coast...

just proving my point no need to get pissed

lebanon is a mountainous country... there are so many mountainside roads that look out onto the coast. beautiful natural views...now we're gonna see a fake island in the shape of a tree... this is ridiculous and so cheap, tacky, cheesy, destined to become an eye-sore and in a few years time will be a nuissance and a regret to the lebanese people for allowing such a stupid project to b built. only saudis would come up with such an idea. why dont you find fake islands in western developed cities? because they're ugly and pointless and not enviromentaly friendly.

where on earth...other than in arab countries would you find mass-built cities... building a city from scratch? all by the same developer?!!! maybe some countries in africa and asia. the whole essence of a city is the natural growth and development that occurs over years, where different architects leave their mark by building a beautiful building that has a distinctive style from a certain era..

yes build an island...if we run out of space in beirut and need that little bit more land in order to accompdate people.

but do not build an island and ruin lebanon's natural coast in order to make arab tourists happy. and satisfy greedy developers that give no shit about lebanon.

also: and this is coming from a foreigner. sometimes i feel that you guys cant care less about your own country. too blind to see. just wanting to copy your masters and allow them to tread on you and control you.
sorry but i'm very upset about this.

The cost of this thing is going to be enormous. It will exceed $10 billion easily. Remember, you have got things like
a) labour
b) material - where the hell are they going to get the mateial from?
c) infrastructure - water, sewerage, electricity, telecommunications, roads to the island from the mainland and internal roads
d) buildings, houses etc
e) breakwaters to protect the island
f) landscaping
g) all the other tacky things they would want to put on it

I think the one billion is just for the reclamation...10 billion will probably be for all te building and infrastructure

lebanon is a mountainous country... there are so many mountainside roads that look out onto the coast. beautiful natural views...now we're gonna see a fake island in the shape of a tree... this is ridiculous and so cheap, tacky, cheesy, destined to become an eye-sore and in a few years time will be a nuissance and a regret to the lebanese people for allowing such a stupid project to b built. only saudis would come up with such an idea. why dont you find fake islands in western developed cities? because they're ugly and pointless and not enviromentaly friendly.

where on earth...other than in arab countries would you find mass-built cities... building a city from scratch? all by the same developer?!!! maybe some countries in africa and asia. the whole essence of a city is the natural growth and development that occurs over years, where different architects leave their mark by building a beautiful building that has a distinctive style from a certain era..

yes build an island...if we run out of space in beirut and need that little bit more land in order to accompdate people.

but do not build an island and ruin lebanon's natural coast in order to make arab tourists happy. and satisfy greedy developers that give no shit about lebanon.

also: and this is coming from a foreigner. sometimes i feel that you guys cant care less about your own country. too blind to see. just wanting to copy your masters and allow them to tread on you and control you.
sorry but i'm very upset about this.



What's wrong with you?
This is just a proposed project and we're simply expressing our opinion about it. No need to take it personal..

Refrain from posting such comments in the future.. it's not acceptable for someone to explain to us how we feel about our country, especially a foreigner

I think we all need to calm down just a bit. Again, this project is no where near ready to begin as it isn't even approved yet and we haven't even seen one rendering. Attacking each other and getting all riled up over this is really not worth it.

Just to address a couple things, for those of you saying that the Lebanese coast will forever be scarred and this will be such a travesty need to realize that in comparison to the overall coast, this island will be just a spec. We have far more unsightly eye-sores all over our coast that need to be addressed first (like all those crumbling marinas). Having a glitzy green space docked along the coast is refreshing and a symbol of our prosperity; not to mention it represents our national pride (the cedar). More importantly, those of us in Lebanon know all too well how those jobs are desperately needed!

By the way, it wont really look tacky since from most views it will simply just look like an island. The cedar shape will only be apparent from an areal perspective.

it's not acceptable for someone to explain to us how we feel about our country, especially a foreigner

Actually John is Lebanese.

I dont think they will build this, i mean the med is windy and it could get nasty in winter time, and the coast is way to deep and we have valuable species (or had not sure if they all left cuz of the oil spill lol), building this island will ruin marina life and it might be dangerous, I would say no. The Cedar is nice and all but its just not... Lebanon to do that.


What about the Rabbit Islands in Tripoli and the islands off of the coast of Sidon? They seem just fine...

^^No one said the island would be built there! And I don't think anyone would be that idiot to build an island off Jounieh's coast...

I agree, that wouldn't be a smart idea. I think near Dbayeh will be ideal because it is closer to Beirut and the area is already expanding (marina).

What's wrong with you?
This is just a proposed project and we're simply expressing our opinion about it. No need to take it personal..

Refrain from posting such comments in the future.. it's not acceptable for someone to explain to us how we feel about our country, especially a foreigner

thats precisely what i did. i expressed my opinion about it. i dont understand how you can ask me to refrain from posting something like this? let alone, call it unacceptable. just for the record, an opinion IS personal.

i didn't explain to you how you feel about your country. i said i sometimes "feel" that you dont care about your country. that also is an opinion and not a fact...a rather good opinion don't you think?

What about the Rabbit Islands in Tripoli and the islands off of the coast of Sidon? They seem just fine...

But the islands in Tripoli and Sidon are made of solid rock with sand surrounding it. If it's a man made island, it will not survive the intensity of the Med. Sea. The only way it will survive and not wash away would be surrounding it with barriers, which is one of the reasons why the reclaimed land has them for such circumstances. If I remember correctly from an interview, it was one of Solidere's argument and reason why they placed those high walls that blocked St-Georges's view.

Okay guys, today I saw the first rendering of the project. It is really not that bad, actually I love it. That island consists of many green parks. (Maybe 50%)
Early next year the final rendering will be released online. I will post the name of the company soon. - Sorry, I do not remember the name anymore.

^^Did you find the rendering online? If so, can you post it here?

ok,this is going too fast now,which i really like :)

Actually they first proposed this in 2006 so its been in the works

OFFICIAL WEBSITE : http://www.cedarsisland.com/ apparently its going to be built in DAMOUR!!!

^^ Not a bad place !!!!! Close to the airport.

^^ THE RENDERS ARE AMAZING ,its green & super modern !!!

BTW , i wonder when is the official launching for this mega project !!!

Yeah nice project !! Hope it gets off the ground
but what r the 4 locations about??

^^ I guess these were the Possible Locations for the project , but They Picked Damour at the end.

I still think its tacky. Its really unnatural, and allot bigger than I imagined it to be. This kind of thing carries its novelty for a few years and then it dies out. If they wanted to make money just reclaim more land and make it look natural. That entire area in damour is sparsely populated and they could extend the coast line and build.

I am as proud to carry the cedar emblem as anyone, but its kind of like if I go and get a tattoo of my own name.

I'm in this forum pretty much everyday but I haven't logged in or commented in a long time ... I just had to stand up against this project for so many reasons.

1. the damage to the ecology of the Mediterranean this project would create is massive ... also can you image a septic tank rupturing into the sea or something? not to mention the natural habitats that will have to be destroyed.

2. we have natural beauty in our coastline being the way it is ... this is going to ruin it forever. and once built, the aesthetic damage is permanent

3. let's be honest about this .... this is a cedar tree that will be inhabited by non-lebanese nationals of a certain financial class ... and the design of the island itself is so exclusionary that I bet you the average citizen will NOT have access to it

4. hideous, fake/unnatural and just DOES NOT FIT WITH THE MEDITERRANEAN or our architecture ... even the homes planned are not unique ... what makes this project stand out?

5. and most importantly, lebanon has underground aquifers that run out to the sea and naturally refilter near the coast ... the acquifers are literally everywhere and at least a handful would have to be destroyed or permanently contaminated and therefore rendered useless for this project to go forth

6. like i've said in this thread before, we have different weather than the dubai coast .. this thing doesn't stand a chance in hell against an earthquake (part of it sliding into the sea ... pollution and all)

7. why are we imitating dubai? I know its an imarati project and company, but are they incapable of building on land? I seriously think dubai should be against this as much as we are seeing as it's stealing their idea.

8. where's the material coming from? are we going to blow up a few mountains to make this $hit-hole (sorry for the language)

This is a TERRIBLE idea and I seriously hope it doesn't go through

*EDIT* a waterpark, an office park AND a mega department store? god help us...

Lebanon from space is going to look weird...

I'm in this forum pretty much everyday but I haven't logged in or commented in a long time ... I just had to stand up against this project for so many reasons.

1. the damage to the ecology of the Mediterranean this project would create is massive ... also can you image a septic tank rupturing into the sea or something? not to mention the natural habitats that will have to be destroyed.

2. we have natural beauty in our coastline being the way it is ... this is going to ruin it forever. and once built, the aesthetic damage is permanent

3. let's be honest about this .... this is a cedar tree that will be inhabited by non-lebanese nationals of a certain financial class ... and the design of the island itself is so exclusionary that I bet you the average citizen will NOT have access to it

4. hideous, fake/unnatural and just DOES NOT FIT WITH THE MEDITERRANEAN or our architecture ... even the homes planned are not unique ... what makes this project stand out?

5. and most importantly, lebanon has underground aquifers that run out to the sea and naturally refilter near the coast ... the acquifers are literally everywhere and at least a handful would have to be destroyed or permanently contaminated and therefore rendered useless for this project to go forth

6. like i've said in this thread before, we have different weather than the dubai coast .. this thing doesn't stand a chance in hell against an earthquake (part of it sliding into the sea ... pollution and all)

7. why are we imitating dubai? I know its an imarati project and company, but are they incapable of building on land? I seriously think dubai should be against this as much as we are seeing as it's stealing their idea.

8. where's the material coming from? are we going to blow up a few mountains to make this $hit-hole (sorry for the language)

This is a TERRIBLE idea and I seriously hope it doesn't go through

*EDIT* a waterpark, an office park AND a mega department store? god help us...


Welcome back, babe :)

bas i would have liked it more in dbayye

and here are the official renders :cheers: :

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk7/mohamadm/cedargeneral.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk7/mohamadm/cedar1.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk7/mohamadm/cedar2.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk7/mohamadm/cedar3.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk7/mohamadm/cedar4.jpg

^^ and there are much much more on the site

^^ But not enough renders

and here are the official renders :cheers: :

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk7/mohamadm/cedargeneral.jpg


Oh HELL no.

Lebanon from space is going to look weird...

It is certainly not as massive as the palm tree islands in Dubai and will not have much of an impact on the view from space.

Did the reclaimed land in Dbayeh and BCD look that weird?

I'm in this forum pretty much everyday but I haven't logged in or commented in a long time ... I just had to stand up against this project for so many reasons.

1. the damage to the ecology of the Mediterranean this project would create is massive ... also can you image a septic tank rupturing into the sea or something? not to mention the natural habitats that will have to be destroyed.

2. we have natural beauty in our coastline being the way it is ... this is going to ruin it forever. and once built, the aesthetic damage is permanent

3. let's be honest about this .... this is a cedar tree that will be inhabited by non-lebanese nationals of a certain financial class ... and the design of the island itself is so exclusionary that I bet you the average citizen will NOT have access to it

4. hideous, fake/unnatural and just DOES NOT FIT WITH THE MEDITERRANEAN or our architecture ... even the homes planned are not unique ... what makes this project stand out?

5. and most importantly, lebanon has underground aquifers that run out to the sea and naturally refilter near the coast ... the acquifers are literally everywhere and at least a handful would have to be destroyed or permanently contaminated and therefore rendered useless for this project to go forth

6. like i've said in this thread before, we have different weather than the dubai coast .. this thing doesn't stand a chance in hell against an earthquake (part of it sliding into the sea ... pollution and all)

7. why are we imitating dubai? I know its an imarati project and company, but are they incapable of building on land? I seriously think dubai should be against this as much as we are seeing as it's stealing their idea.

8. where's the material coming from? are we going to blow up a few mountains to make this $hit-hole (sorry for the language)

This is a TERRIBLE idea and I seriously hope it doesn't go through

*EDIT* a waterpark, an office park AND a mega department store? god help us...


I was just wondering where you have been...

I agree with your concerns and the questions you pose are more than valid. All we can do at this point and wait for more information rather than jumping to conclusions though. I am sure this would not have been approved it would have such severe consequences. I guess one positive thing is that it has some greenery incorporated into it. I am just glad that this development did not destroy the banana fields.

Also important to mention is that there are two major beach resorts (Oceana and Janna sur Mer) recently built along this exact coastline (and they are continuously expanding by building chalets).
By summer of this year, there will be a third beach resort built right in-between Janna Sur Mer and Oceana called Utopia! I wonder how this will have an impact on the project...

I think Kheireddine said it best when he said that history repeats itself in Lebanon. Instead of ever investing in better quality infrastructure that would improve citizens' lives, people invest in glitzy projects :ohno:

I would love to see Lebanon be a research and medical hub, with investment going into grand labratories and hospitals, not more real estate projects. And last I checked I thought Lebanon needed more money to upgrade its electrical grid not build an artificial island when its civilians still dont get enough electricity or have high enough wages.

And lebgurl is completely right, Lebanon and Dubai or not the same at all. Dubai has no natural beauty like Lebanon (not unles you're really into sandunes) Its proven that Lebanon is prone to earthquakes, and its seas can get stormy. Whats stopping this thing from flooding or sinking? How about replanting some cedars instead and preserving old buildings. I'd much rather see that.

I think Kheireddine said it best when he said that history repeats itself in Lebanon. Instead of ever investing in better quality infrastructure that would improve citizens' lives, people invest in glitzy projects :ohno:

I would love to see Lebanon be a research and medical hub, with investment going into grand labratories and hospitals, not more real estate projects. And last I checked I thought Lebanon needed more money to upgrade its electrical grid not build an artificial island when its civilians still dont get enough electricity or have high enough wages.

And lebgurl is completely right, Lebanon and Dubai or not the same at all. Dubai has no natural beauty like Lebanon (not unles you're really into sandunes) Its proven that Lebanon is prone to earthquakes, and its seas can get stormy. Whats stopping this thing from flooding or sinking? How about replanting some cedars instead and preserving old buildings. I'd much rather see that.

x1000

It is certainly not as massive as the palm tree islands in Dubai and will not have much of an impact on the view from space.

While it isn't as massive as the Palm tree islands in Dubai, it will still nonetheless be clearly noticeable from space.

Go to the Cedar Island website and click on Site & Location, they have a properly scaled object imposed on Google Maps satellite imagery, just uncheck "Show Labels" and zoom out and you can clearly see the Cedar island sticking out into the sea.

Did the reclaimed land in Dbayeh and BCD look that weird?

The reclaimed lands in Dbayeh and BCD aren't shaped like trees...

I think Kheireddine said it best when he said that history repeats itself in Lebanon. Instead of ever investing in better quality infrastructure that would improve citizens' lives, people invest in glitzy projects :ohno:

I would love to see Lebanon be a research and medical hub, with investment going into grand labratories and hospitals, not more real estate projects. And last I checked I thought Lebanon needed more money to upgrade its electrical grid not build an artificial island when its civilians still dont get enough electricity or have high enough wages.

And lebgurl is completely right, Lebanon and Dubai or not the same at all. Dubai has no natural beauty like Lebanon (not unles you're really into sandunes) Its proven that Lebanon is prone to earthquakes, and its seas can get stormy. Whats stopping this thing from flooding or sinking? How about replanting some cedars instead and preserving old buildings. I'd much rather see that.

Excellent post, thank you.

What a disaster. Fingers crossed this doesn't get approved.

A few issues I can see (these may have been mentioned earlier)

1) The water in between the branches will be stagnant from lack of circulation.

2) The beaches will crumble due to erosion especially during storms. The beaches will have to be artificially replenished on a regualr basis to prevent the whole island from being washed away.

3) There needs to be some sort of protection in the form of a breakwater. You can't leave the island exposed to the sea like that. The Palm Islands have a ring around them.

4) Where are they going to get the material from?????? At what cost is this going to be to the environment.

5) It is right under the flight path of one of the runways at Beirut Airport. I hope the future residents won't mind a bit of noise.

6) It looks completely out and place on the coast and will be an eyesore from the air despite its greenery.

All in all, there is still a lot of work to be done before this comes close to being feasible not to mention the required government approvals.

this is the most ridiculous project for Lebanon yet...and anyway who cares about how the island looks like from above, it's not like people lives 5 km up in the sky to see the shape. Investments should be poured into what we ALREADY have, like cleaning up beaches, restoring city centers...etc. I pray this project goes bankrupt and doesn't go through!

Remember though, investements have to make money. Cleaning beaches and building roads doesn't earn investors any money. There should be conditions on these sort of investments such as "You may build this island on condition that you clean all the surrounding beaches and resurface all surrounding roads etc"

Excellent post, thank you.

thanks:) I would like to add that I believe Lebanon is unique in its land and people and should not mimick the gulf (no offense against the gulf they have achieved leaps and bounds). It has natural forests and beaches and thats what can draw tourists in and the local community.


Joseph D I was just about to say the same thing! They should tie those investments into investments in infrastructure as well. And you are right what is gonna stop those beaches from being swept away.

AND what about beach resorts such as bamboo bay which are located in Damour? What will become of them????

Tfeh!

That area and the South in general are the most natural beach areas Lebanon has.. I think its a bad location...I love the banana fields and the unspoiled look of the place

If it appears as it does in this render, it would look a lot better, it looks more natural with the greenery
http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo305/Nadini23/cedars.jpg

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo305/Nadini23/df.jpg

^^I think that's old. Notice that a Syrian donkey....I mean Emile Lahoud is in the picture next to the rendering.

remember that these things hardly ever turn out like the renderings, like the palms for example in the renderings they were so green and spacious but in reality they're crammed with villas and there's hardly any greenery....they need to sell to make money and green spaces don't sell!

This is a nice suprise to a fourm i havent viewed in a long time !
its a project I guess you love or hate. I think its nice good for tourism. I didnt know it was going to be so big !

^^I think that's old. Notice that a Syrian donkey....I mean Emile Lahoud is in the picture next to the rendering.

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

this is so funny, it looks like a high school project.

what is "semi floating" structure? kinda weird..also whats up with the dwntwn highrises? thats going to really affect the CBD in beirut..is there enough demand for two so close?

Nooooo way!!!! Come on!!! This could not be true! Totally against it! :bash:

^^i now have an official reason to not support this project : according to the site & location renders this project will be built directly parallel to Oceana and Janna Sur Mer resorts which will totally destroy their beach fronts :(:(

At first I hated this project, but now that I think about it might be kinda good for lebanon.
Everyone in the world will be talking about this project, and imagine how much it will bump the tourism.

Maybe evn some nice highrises could fit here. It will be like our mini-Dubai, except nicer. :)

What is so exciting about a mini-Dubai in Lebanon? I dont see how an island shaped as a cedar would attract people. The actual cedars attract people. You either have to go drive up to the top of a mountain to stare at its horrible shape, or fly over it. We have enough under developed attractive attractions that this company could develop and profit from, but they choose to throw their money into the sea. The only positive thing I see is that it will not be off of the coast of Beirut.

^^i now have an official reason to not support this project : according to the site & location renders this project will be built directly parallel to Oceana and Janna Sur Mer resorts which will totally destroy their beach fronts :(:(


say it ain't so :ohno:

Why not do it near rocky beaches. Honestly it would be better near Amchit or Saida (Saida needs more economic development). And I'm suprised people want to give it so much funding concerning all the instability in the region. I know lebanon isn't a land of war, but unfortunately sometimes it is sucked into awful conflicts that lead to alot of instability.

say it ain't so :ohno:

Why not do it near rocky beaches. Honestly it would be better near Amchit or Saida (Saida needs more economic development). And I'm suprised people want to give it so much funding concerning all the instability in the region. I know lebanon isn't a land of war, but unfortunately sometimes it is sucked into awful conflicts that lead to alot of instability.

I agree the location isnt good..pick a rocky coastline in the north...keep the still unspoiled beauty of the south

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/5016/66254467dn2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

good it will be built here, at least we will not lose a sandy shore however they should have built it somewhere where
we could see it from a mountain, it will be a lot better that way
Location of the Island
http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo305/Nadini23/01.jpg

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo305/Nadini23/02.jpg

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo305/Nadini23/05.jpg

thanks for the new picture. I'm really looking forward to this. It will be great for Lebanon.

You know its not going to be that green haha but i do like the effort and the sandy beaches:) The breakwaters u can see now...I still am concerned about where the fill will come from...and what about the marine enviroment..there are major hatching ground for the green turthle in the south..

Nadini, are those pictures from the Damour shoreline? If so, there will be an amazing view of the island from the villages of Damour and Mechref.

** I am in the process of making an official project thread for Cedar Island.

Stay tuned...

^^

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=787532

Nadini, are those pictures from the Damour shoreline? If so, there will be an amazing view of the island from the villages of Damour and Mechref.

Yes they are habibi, if you go in their site on the left side, you should see an album that says construction updates

^^ OK thanks. The website has been down for the day so I couldnt check. Check the official thread for the pics I added (they are the view from the mountain so you can get a sense of the location).