when four brothers with distinct personalities wanted to construct an upscale residential building in a wooded beirut suburb, 109 architectes played on the concept of a harmonious quartet. four blocks anchor the project to the plot; a hill blanketed in pine and oak trees. together, the volumes form four stories that interact with the environment, demonstrating the green approach that saturates the building from design to material — preserving the forest while overlooking the city below.

109 architectes builds family residence as four interlinked blocks in lebanon
the residential building is set within baabda, a wooded suburb of beirut
all images © ieva saudargaitė

 

 

for this project, 109 architectes has assigned a distinct function to each box: the sleeping area, guest room or office, service area and reception. three are constructed as solid boxes with stone cladding that will naturally fade into the environment over time. full-height windows on each floor allow a flood of natural light and panoramic views thanks to their positioning that maximizes vistas of trees and topography lines. in contrast, the reception block materializes as a series of stacked white slabs framing the scenery – establishing a direct dialog with the surrounding trees. moreover, a book-lined corridor acts as a boulevard connecting the blocks, with a family room set as the heart of each house.  the latter overlooks the front and back of the forest, creating an uninterrupted network of inhabitants, branches, and birds.

109 architectes builds family residence as four interlinked blocks in lebanon
the bedroom block

 

 

when moving across the building floors, users will notice subtle differences created by the views. the ground is washed in soft sunlight, set within the tree trunks and beneath the canopy. meanwhile the first floor hovers among branches while the second  floats just above the treetops, giving the illusion that one could reach out and touch them. Pprched high above the woodland, the third floor looks out onto the horizon – exposing a view towards the city by the sea. 

109 architectes builds family residence as four interlinked blocks in lebanon
the reception area materializes as a series of stacked white slabs

109 architectes builds family residence as four interlinked blocks in lebanon
the building sits on a hill blanketed in pine and oak trees

109 architectes builds family residence as four interlinked blocks in lebanon
a playful arrangement of openings filtered by the trees

109 architectes builds family residence as four interlinked blocks in lebanon
the reception block establishes a direct dialog with the surrounding trees

109 architectes builds family residence as four interlinked blocks in lebanon
the family room is the heart of each house, connecting the different blocks

109 architectes builds family residence as four interlinked blocks in lebanon
the guest-room/office block

109 architectes builds family residence as four interlinked blocks in lebanon
the building aims to preserve the forest while overlooking the city below

109 architectes builds family residence as four interlinked blocks in lebanon
the first floor hovers among branches

 

 

project info:


partners in charge: youssef mallat
architect in charge: richard kassab
team: richard azzam, joy traboulsi, samer bazzy
structural consultant: B.E.T. mattar
mechanical consultant: barbanel & ibrahim mounayar
electrical consultant: gilbert tambourgi

 

location: baabda, lebanon
project area: 1800m sqm
year: 2012-2017

 

products: glass: bifem-paralu / panoramah
stone: travertine

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom