Competition:

Skyhive #5 – Buildner

Honorable Mention

As Beirut’s built fabric continues to expand onto its surrounding mountainous terrain, the landscape is being annihilated. The building laws and construction methods applied rely on excavating the landscape and morphing it to suit the people’s needs, rather than using the existing. Analyzing the buildings and laws in Baabda, a prominent district in Greater Beirut, the horizontal spread of the built fabric was questioned. In order to minimize the spread, a vertical city is proposed.

Inspired by the forest and existing Pine trees, a needle tower with a ratio of 1:18 and a minimal footprint, is anchored in the rocky terrain. Similar to the Pine tree’s roots, the tower spreads at its base, merging with the steep topography and allowing the public spaces to be accessed at different levels.