Under Construction Building by Zaha Hadid in downtown Beirut

Beirut North Souks Mall: An Upcoming Architectural Project by Zaha Hadid

Beirut's skyline continues to change rapidly and excessively. There has been a boom in the construction of high-rise buildings, hotels, and malls in the last decade. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), the "Beirut North Souks" is one of the city's newest commercial buildings.

So then, in downtown Beirut, an upcoming commercial and yet architectural expressionist building is rising in the old North Souks area. The project was conceptualized by the late Zaha Hadid architect 12 years ago and is still unfinished due to many factors and reasons. In this post, we will be exploring this superb upcoming and unique new city landmark standing near the Beirut waterfront which contributed greatly to modifying its skyline. (See Fig.1 below)

Fig.1- Rendered view of the piazza from Mir Majid Arslan Street, Photo: thenationalnews.com

A Glance at Zaha Hadid Bio

Hadid aka "Queen of Curves", was an Iraqi-born British architect. She was the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize, in 2004. She received the UK’s most prestigious architectural award, the Stirling Prize, in 2010 and 2011. Her designs include the Guangzhou Opera House, the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games, and the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Azerbaijan.

In 2015, she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for her services to architecture. She died in 2016 at the age of 65. 

This post looks at one of Zaha Hadid’s most revolutionary designs and famous architectural projects: the "Beirut North Souks - Department Store". Although the design process began 12 years ago as already mentioned, the construction works still are not completed yet due to many causes and circumstances, notably the economic and financial crisis ravaging Lebanon since 2019 and the disastrous Beirut blast explosion in 2020.

Site Location History

The under-construction building is located in downtown Beirut, as was noted earlier and it is adjacent to the existing south Beirut Souks and constitutes an integrated part of it if we can say (Fig.2). The building forms an extension to the current part of the souk stretched to the north, on the other side of Tripoli street.

In my opinion, the concept of today's modern malls derives from those similar souks that were very popular in our regions once before, especially in the Middle East and North African territories, as we can see clearly in Fig.3 below.

Fig.2- The south souks area layout where the old souks before the war were now extended to the North, Photo: eng.wikipedia.org

The lot area chosen to implement the project abounds with many interesting historical facts that are worth stopping by to enlarge your knowledge. The commercial building is named "Beirut North Souks - Department Store" after the place where it was inaugurated. So if we back in time many years ago and until the year 1975, the southern area of the plot was home to the traditional old Beirut Souks known for their worldwide reputation.

Fig.3- The famous old Beirut Souks, Photo from Pinterest

Unfortunately, the area was entirely damaged and ravaged during the civil war that took place between the years 1975 and 1992. Launching the restoration project of downtown Beirut in 1994 will bring big benefits to this vital part of the city and help it rebirth again with a unique development approach;

This traditional sector symbolizes a national heritage and memories that were lost during the war. For many Lebanese citizens, the old souks were strongly pointing to a prosperous history period until the city was destroyed by the violence of the war.

Some of the historical facts are that the old souks were famous for the numerous markets of all kinds of goods and merchandise, especially fashion and jewelry; They were a variant open market where everyone can find whatever he needs and suitable for every budget.

Every market - or souk - gets its tag from the activity featured within it; Let us look at some examples, "Souk el-Frenge" (Fig.4) was famous for the foreign and imported products that can be always found in its multiple stores (where frenge means Foreigners in Arabic). Similarly, elegant and stylish jewelry for all tastes can be bought at "Souk El-Sagha" (where sagha meant jewelry).

 

Fig.4- The famous "Souk El-Frenge" in the Old Beirut Souks, Photo: Pinterest

The project site also includes the "Masjid el-Majidiyeh" Mosque on its lot's Eastern corner, and forms on its boundaries a large welcoming and managed piazza for the mall's main entrance. (as shown in Fig.1) Meanwhile, Fig.5 indicates the general location of the Beirut Souks project in the south and north parts linked together.

It is good to note also that the South Souks, designed by Rafael Moneo and Kevin Dash, houses the jewelry markets of the development project.

Fig.5- General location map of the building showing its situation, Image: Google maps

Important Architectural Facts about the Building

As noted earlier, the late Iraqi-British architect and her team began developing the concept of the building 12 years ago, and it was effectively constructed but not finished in 2015. Their resulting design reflects the structure's site and surroundings, specifically the historic area of "Khan Antoun Bey".

Situated on the northeast side of the lot, the entrance of the department store is a revolutionary architectural element by all means; Its extended lines illustrate the endlessness of the city strongly represented in the twisted shape that mimics an infinity sign when seen from above. (Fig.6)

Fig.6- Seen from above, the atrium and the symbol of infinity reflect the city's rebirth after the war, Photo: sinarlb.com

A stark white interior enhances the hallways' brightness and airiness. In the atrium of the building, natural light and circulation are provided. (Fig.7)

Fig.7- The atrium illuminating the inside of the building completely of stark white color, Photo: sinarlb.com

As we can see clearly, the under-construction building is inspired by Zaha Hadid's architectural style. The award-winning Architect of the Year Prize, who passed away in 2016, was known for incorporating fluid curves and undulating forms into her projects.

So the overall design of the building is modeled upon Hadid's architectural style, with its curved shapes and volumes. It has a total floor area of about 30,000 square meters of a mixed-use development that includes office space, retail spaces, and a potential hotel, all divided into 5 stories, including a shopping mall, offices, apartments, and various cinema theaters. A hotel is also noticed but not confirmed.

The building concept is inspired by the geometry of the Cyrillic alphabet. The "Beirut North Souks" is mainly a commercial and retail facility that became one of the iconic buildings and became the new landmark of the city. It is known for its unique and futuristic design. It is one of the largest shopping malls in the Middle East region.

Fig.8- Building Wall-Glass elevation details by Vasglass, Photo: Vasglass

"Beirut North Souks" is one of the biggest shopping malls in the Middle East, covering 26,370 square meters of retail spaces. The building has received numerous prizes, including the Lebanese Architecture Award, the Arab World Award, and the Riba International Award.

It is one of the most significant projects that Hadid has completed in recent years. It is a symbol of the city’s rebirth and its future as a leading global metropolis.

➤ Read more: Valuable Discoveries in Downtown Beirut Archaeological Excavations, and Archaeological Excavations Bear Witness to the City's Glorious History

Meanwhile, the building’s exterior concept features a strong asymmetrical mesh-like pattern that accentuates the appearance of the structure’s fluidity. In addition, in the design concept of the "Beirut Souks Department Store", Zaha Hadid Architects describe the intention of “blurring the envelope of the building with the piazza”, to ensure that it smoothly and continuously blends in with its surroundings.