The Beirut memorial: Hope is inside

Project idea

Following the explosion of the port of Beirut on August 04, 2020 causing numerous losses, the developed project undertakes to pay tribute to the victims while comforting the bereaved families and the remaining population. it is the symbol of hope and it is also a call to move forward.

Project description

HOPE IS INSIDE It is the identity of each person. It reflects the hope that resides in every body shell saddened by the attack. A hope of smiling, a hope of moving forward, a hope of peaceful rest for departed souls. Like rain, the light travels from the top of the memorial to pour over the meditation space giving hope to the populations. This memorial is a building whose exterior facades are dark black expressing the pain, the sadness felt by the relatives of the victims, the populations affected from near and far, the whole world, because of the explosion. The interior walls are a dazzling white, expressing the hope for an imminent healing of the hearts of all those affected. It can be compared to a black paving stone engraved with broken openings reflecting the wounds inflicted by the explosion on the victims. The roof is a slab pierced in the center by a large glazed half-sphere giving access to a dazzling light, which are arranged around 200 half-spheres (of a truly smaller radius) like the victims of the attack. The first level, ground floor, is an area for visitors to pay homage to the victims of the attack; area with a stele above and around where it is possible to place wreaths of flowers for the victims. The stele in its center receives daylight from above, this overhead lighting instantly immerses visitors in a world whose choice of a new start for a better future is at hand. All of the levels R + 1 to R + 5 are exhibition spaces, contemplating photographs of victims and damage related to the exhibition. Level R + 6 is the area devoted to meditation, to the recollection of visitors who need inner healing, the hope of a peaceful life, the hope of rest for the souls of the victims.

Technical information

The main material used is concrete. the building being built on water, a concrete pile system is adapted.