BCD DEVELOPMENT NEWS *General*

[nareg]

Originally Posted by Lebanese Cedar

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.

[Lebanese Cedar]

naregkar,

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

Originally Posted by Beirut!

As you said, on the left side the Saifi Village II project is being constructed by UAE-based DEYAAR.


http://www.deyaar.ae/index.php?page=...shop&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.


Right behind it is where the Beirut Gate project starts.

Originally Posted by Beirut!

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



http://www.foch94.com

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

Originally Posted by Beirut!

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.

[nareg]

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.

[nareg]

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

[Lebanese Cedar]

Originally Posted by naregkar

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?

Originally Posted by naregkar

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

I'm in the USA.

[nareg]

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.

[Lebanese Cedar]

Originally Posted by naregkar

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/m....asp?NewsID=68

Originally Posted by naregkar

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.

[khayam]

Originally Posted by naregkar

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.



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

[khayam]

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

[Beiruti]

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.

[Jayme]

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

[nareg]

Originally Posted by Lebanese Cedar

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

Nice to hear that! Thanks.

[Hassoun]

I founf this pic for the "space ship"
Now this is cool

[Jayme]

what is that

[Beiruti]

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

[nareg]

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.

[Nadini]

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

[nareg]

Yes, you're right Nadini.

[nareg]

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.

[Nadini]

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