Located at the ninth and last level of the Plot # 2251 project designed by Bernard Khoury in Beirut, Lebanon, this three-story apartment is articled through an independent structure capping the building.
Structurally, the apartment only shares the building’s vertical circulation core, as well as the perimeter along which its two peripheral walls lie. Beyond the ninth level, the structure of this residence becomes autonomous, rendering it morphologically detached from the edifice. The result is what resembles an independent house placed atop a building, rather than what is commonly known as a penthouse or roof level apartment.
The articulation of this project is also related to its geographic location. Virtually situated on the former demarcation line which separated east and west Beirut, this apartment opens up onto “the hell” of its city, placing it neither east nor west but in between.
The apartment comprises three levels, the reference level being the landing floor throughout which the vital programmatic functions take place – the reception space, the dining room, the master bedroom as well as the kitchen. The mezzanine level accommodates two additional bedrooms, as well the continuation of the floor-to-ceiling library accessible at this level by a steel grating bridge crossing the entire frame of the reception, and seemingly floating once the floor-to-ceiling glazing is retracted. Lastly, the uppermost level houses the pool terrace, as well as a guest studio and staff quarters.
all images © IEVA SAUDARGAITE