Modern Architecture From Lebanon

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Was Intra Bank Down Town,
Now Banque de l’Habitat
Bank Street, Beirut Downtown, Lebanon

Architect: Assem Salam
Date: 1958

The second building after the one in Hamra, today the building is still there and renovated. The ownership been changed from Bank to Bank after the fall of Intra.

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THE British Bank of The Middle East
Next The Capucin Church, Down Town Beirut

Pierre El Khoury
1966

Photo courtesy: Lumières du Liban

Architectural Features
The building is defined by several key design elements that set it apart from the standard international style of the era:
• The Facade: The most distinctive feature is the zigzagging glass and steel curtain wall. This sawtooth pattern isn’t just aesthetic; it was designed to maximize views while managing the intense Mediterranean sunlight.
• The Base: The building sits atop a rugged, stone-clad podium that anchors it to the steep slope of the Serail Hill. The rough texture of the stone provides a heavy, grounded contrast to the sleek, dark glass above.
• Signage: At the bottom right, you can see the original bilingual bronze lettering in English and Arabic: “The British Bank of the Middle East.”
Urban Context & Location
The photo highlights the building’s strategic position in the historic heart of Beirut:
• Topography: To the left, a set of wide outdoor stairs is visible, which connects the higher ground of the Grand Serail (the seat of the Prime Minister) to the lower streets of the city center.
• Historical Layers: Directly below this site lie the Roman Baths, creating a dramatic juxtaposition between 20th-century modernism and ancient archaeology.
• Architectural Neighbors: As you noted, it stands in dialogue with Assem Salam’s 1958 Intra Bank, forming a cluster of buildings that once represented Beirut’s status as the financial “Paris of the Middle East.”
A “Brutalist” Influence
While often categorized under Modernism, el-Khoury’s use of sharp angles and the heavy, fortress-like stone base gives the building a Brutalist edge. It was designed to feel secure and prestigious—fitting for a major international bank—while remaining elegant through its vertical glass transparency.

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Pier Jounieh, Duty Free, Harbor Access
Lebanon

Jacques Liger-Belair
1967-1968

Photo Credit: Gebran Yacoub
A Dictionary of 20Th century Architecture in Lebanon

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Ghazzaoui Building
Ras El Nabeh, Beirut-Lebanon

Lucien Cassia
1958

Photo credit: .harb
Info credit:

This building implement the 5 points of modern architecture as reflected by Le Corbusier but in a Mediterranean way. Elevated and Free GF, The ribbon window is replaced by linear balconies, plan libre or open space is reduce to big reception area v/s night area, structure independent from building envelope is the case if we consider that Mediterranean region needs more balconies and sunlight so the balconies and the Clostras shall be considered first plan of building envelope, and the bay windows and windows will be behind (arrière plan), to create depth, roof an event space for most of Lebanese buildings of that area the roof was considered as a gathering place for the building residents. Why is particular for this building was the modeling between two cubes separated by the staircase as a vertical split highlighted by its transparency and light.

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Residence
Haret Sakhr, Jounieh

Unknown
Date not confirmed

Photo Credit: Mike Kamel

Characteristic:
Elevated Concrete Structure, on pillars, two floors (wood shutters, Balconies, concrete handrails) side windows Framed by Inverted U shaped sun breaker, and the sides elevation are stone cladded.

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Power Station
Emile Eddé street, Hamra, Ras Beirut, Lebanon

Karol Schayer, Wassek Adib & Bahij Makdisi
Late 50’s

Photo Credit: .harb
Story by .harb for

The Architectural Deep Dive (Educational)
Caption: Finding Mid-Century gems in the heart of Hamra. 🏙️ This 1950s power station is a masterclass in Brutalist functionalism. Notice the massive claustra (the grid-like screen) designed to provide ventilation while shielding the heavy machinery inside from the Mediterranean sun. The porthole windows on the right add a touch of « Streamline Moderne » to an otherwise rugged industrial facade. A silent witness to Beirut’s golden era of modernization. ⚡️🇱🇧
Hashtags: ModernistArchitecture

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Lebanese University, Beirut,
Andre Wogensky (with Maurice Hindié)
1967-1976

In the case of the University of Beirut, the tension lies precisely between the overall layout, which seems to take shape from a distributional plan, and the specific use of color, the design of the furniture, the choice of materials, and the form of the theater-cultural center.

Designed for 15,000 students, the university comprises the Faculty of Sciences, the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Law, the Higher Teacher Training College, the Institute of Social Studies, and the Institute of Fine Arts. The entire complex is organized around a central block containing the student lounge, the administration, and the library. This concentration of buildings around a core, as well as the convergence of all circulation routes toward the lounge, was conceived to foster interaction among students from different disciplines. The slope of the land, the building height restrictions imposed by the proximity of the airport, and the desire to preserve the unique character of the surrounding landscape by integrating the architecture with the topography led Wogenscky to arrange the classrooms in successive tiers, creating “green terraces” for leisurely strolls. Only the scientific laboratories are grouped together in a single building, to optimize the distribution of research equipment. The overall design is thus characterized by the optimization of activities and social interactions among students, but its vibrant character is entrusted to details that challenge the regulatory principle and reveal the project’s poetics. For example, the concrete laboratory block, resembling a large industrial building, creates a striking contrast with the section housing the classrooms, which extends across the site. In the cafeteria, the bright red of the large-diameter suspended ducts through which the conduits run air conditioning creates a modular rhythm on the white of the aluminum false ceilingthe partitions that act as sunshades around the perimeter are painted in bright and varied colors to give dynamism to the whole room, in contrast with the central block of the kitchen which combines black glass and stainless steel.

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Project for a family home called “House in the Wind,” Faraya, Lebanon, 1981

André Wogenscky
1981

Unbuilt

The House in the Wind can be classified among Wogenscky’s projects where a concern for formal aspect dominates the design. These are projects, born from reflections on the aesthetic study of form, which partially contradict the theoretical thought that “architectural creation is a discovery; it is produced by the sudden connection between all the data of the problem: the program, the forces resulting from the interior organization, and those imbued in the exterior space, through the site.”43 The environment conditions the volume here: the particular form arises from the windy character of the place. An exterior wall extends in the direction of the wind, and the rounded corners facilitate passage. The wind shapes the volume like a sculpture, bending the walls onto the roof, influencing the interior space’s fluidity, as can be seen in the plans, drawn without right angles, and lending unity to the project.

The metaphor of the wind conveys a strong “formal intent,” the same one that guides the design of the façades according to the Modulor. This expressive force acts upon the entire volume and offers the image of a sculpture that also affects the user through its “spectacular” aspect.

Gloria Hotel
Avenue des Français, Beirut

Khalil Ferneine & Jean Lymberis
(same who built Hotel du Rondpoint-Aley)
Late 1940’s early 1950’s

Photo Credit: Fadi A. Ghazzaoui

Demolished By SOLIDERE