Foundation work has begun on New York-based SOMA Architects‘ “BOBO,” an 11-story luxury high-rise residential complex located in Beirut’s trendy Mar Mikhael district.
The sophisticated tower will have 13 new luxury residences—which includes an ultra-luxurious penthouse duplex—along with street-level retail space.
The architects at Soma have surely had their work cut out for them. BOBO’s developer, Zardman, was not permitted to demolish the façade of a protected 1920s house adjacent to the development site, so the architects had to literally build over, around, and under the existing structure.
“The challenges that were presented to our design by the necessity of keeping the façade of the house in place created an opportunity in the end. Our design for BOBO blends the old with the new in a rapidly changing neighborhood,” said Michel Abboud, SOMA Architects’ founder and principal.
The SOMA team devised an ingenious plan to cantilever BOBO’s steel exoskeleton and concrete core over the protected home by excavating six floors below the gutted home, leaving the historic façade intact.
Upon completion, BOBO’s steel cantilever and reflective glass—which will catch the hip urban surroundings—will jut out over the home.
Photos and details courtesy of SOMA Architects and Archinect
