This relied on emphasizing the protentional of the site itself, and the ability of the revival project to merge with existing activity and commerce. Mapping out existing site conditions was key to maintaining this sensitivity. Bahr el Eid currently exists on an extremely slim plot of land, measuring just four meters at its shortest edge and 12 meters at its longest. However, it spans the length of the Khan and occupies nearly 86 meters of coastal frontage. With the potential to unify the disjointed informality of buildings along the waterfront, the DI-Lab team experimented with both the form and function of the project to create a single, unifying gesture along Sidon’s most historic district. Through drawings and physically modeled design explorations, students were ultimately able to design a safe, interactive strip of space for use by local youth all year round. With cost efficiency integral to all stakeholders, modularity became central to the design. Triangulation allowed the proposed structure to efficiently span the expanse of the site while minimizing the material necessary to do so. The structure is achieved through the use of six-meter-long steel members which are fixed above in threes by custom steel joints. The slenderness and durability of the steel members were ideal for the design that had to be as lightweight and minimally invasive as possible.

The shading was also achieved with similar parameters in mind. Designed to accommodate tensile material, the structure ultimately took shape as a safe, shaded buffer zoon between the traffic-heavy highway and the historic district. Both exceptionally durable and weatherproof, tensile material allows the site to function during all seasons and in a variety of ways. Secured at two high points and a single low point, the tensile structure is modeled to efficiently provide shading with minimal use of material. Spatial limitations encouraged the DI-Lab team to minimize any physical intervention on the site itself. By freeing up the expanse of the site, the intervention facilitates a variety of programmatic functions. With the tensile material anchored to the structure itself, the space beneath is free to once again function as a festival grounds while accommodating public leisure and communal recreation during the rest of the year.

Designed specifically with the community in mind, the project not only revives the site, but the commercial and recreational activity that has come to define life around it. Through participatory research and design, both vendors and youth will once again benefit from the free space during annual Eid celebrations and beyond. By reworking the waterfront through the implementation of this unified gesture along the historic district, the Bahr el Eid revival project also helps rehabilitate a long since neglected stretch of the coast in favor of both the community and tourism. Through the opportunity to once again play, learn, and relax in one of Sidon’s most cherished sites, the Bahr el Eid Revival Project creates a safe space for leisure in the heart of the city. Respectful of the past, yet with eyes firmly set on the future, DI-Lab proves that research, design, and structural innovation can be brought together in service of the development of some of Lebanon’s oldest communities.