Three Squares Batroun Competition - 1st Prize
IGA Role: Landscape design
Location: Batroun, Lebanon
As a coastal town maintaining its strong relationship and owing its reputation to the sea, Batroun old neighborhood has a labyrinthine dense fabric and a low horizontal skyline.
To navigate through, a web is proposed like a fishnet on which can be plugged old features like the Sponge Diver, and new “sea related” ones like the shading sails of the plazas, the multifunctional nets above the alleys and the proposed periscopes as landmarks at St Mary and St Georges Squares.
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St Georges Square integrates itself with roads whilst offering a multifunctional plaza that acts as a gathering space, a theater for artistic performances, a market and parking spot. The amphitheater shaped square is oriented towards the church, focal point of the area, and gives its sides as an extension to the surrounding F&B.
Introducing greenery for what used to be a dry plaza provides shade and cooler temperatures for summertime.
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Just like St. Mary and St Georges Squares, St. Stephan Square looks for an integration into the existing fabric.
However, the difference of levels adds a particular challenge for optimized fluidity. It is tackled by breaking the existing stairs in two and introducing a large disabled ramp that can equally be used as an emergency/service vehicular access.
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Integrated within existing roads, through flattening the levels and unifying the pavement, St Mary Square is designed as an extension of adjacent activities, such as shops and F&B outlets.
This composition allows a vehicular access while maintaining a pedestrian character and usable space for the church.
This web with its features will tie the town together, highlight its identity and serve as a way finding means.
With a limited space horizontally, the vertical artistic periscope-telescopes like colored totems can be easily integrated. They evoke giant obelisks of ancient cities or the towers of the medieval towns. Conceived as a modernized artistic version of the periscope combined with a telescope, they allow to see the city from a high angle.
With sky wheels characterizing many cities around the world and allowing them a panoramic top view, Batroun can have its own observation invention and a continuously growing network of features related to the sea activities and Batroun identity.
