Omar Harb

advisor

USEK - Holy spirit University of Kaslik

Lebanon

As an architect and founder of Omar Harb Architects & Associates, my work centers on creating… more

A. Conceptual Strength: "The Cedar Path"

Strengths: The use of the Lebanese Cedar as a formal metaphor for the pedestrian path is emotionally powerful. By starting the "roots" in the city and ending at a "spiritual" memorial at the water’s edge, you create a clear narrative arc that guides the visitor from the material to the ethereal.

Architectural Logic: The "Silver Lining" metaphor—realized as a glass gallery—is a clever way to physically insert a layer of "hope" between the tragic ruins of the silos and the functional future of the port.

B. Technical Sophistication & Logistics

High Bay Storage (HBS): Integrating the DP World HBS system demonstrates impressive research. It shows you understand that for the Beirut Port to succeed, it must be a high-efficiency machine. Reducing the port’s footprint to maximize public space is a key requirement of the competition.

Sustainability: The use of kinetic floor tiles to generate electricity from footsteps is an innovative "Smart City" touch. It poignantly suggests that the energy of the people is what will power the city's future.

C. Memorial Sensitivity

Treatment of the Silos: Creating light openings within the "thickness" of the old silos allows them to act as a "living witness." It avoids the mistake of over-restoring them, instead treating them as a sacred, porous monument.

I. Climatic Comfort & Environmental Resilience
Suggestion: Beirut’s Mediterranean climate can make elevated, exposed paths like the "Cedar Path" extremely hot and uncomfortable.

Refinement: Integrate passive cooling or shading. Consider adding a "canopy" layer to the path that mimics cedar branches. Use the energy generated by the kinetic tiles to power localized misting systems or a "Cooling Pavilion" at the end of the walk, ensuring the memorial is a place of comfort, not physical stress.

II. Strengthening the "Machine-Spirit" Narrative
Suggestion: In a project that balances heavy industry (containers) with heavy emotion (memorial), the transition between the two can sometimes feel disjointed.

Refinement: Use a "Transparent Logistics" approach. Design specific "observation windows" in the glass gallery that look down into the automated container terminal. This turns the efficiency of the port into a "theatrical" element, showing the public that the city is working and breathing again.

III. Materiality of the "Silver Lining"
Suggestion: Using plain glass in a high-security, high-sunlight port environment poses risks of glare and maintenance.

Refinement: Specify Dichroic or Fritted Glass for the gallery. This would allow the building to shift colors based on the sun's position, symbolizing the "changing phases of memory." It would also reduce solar heat gain inside the gallery spaces.

IV. Detailed Documentation for the Technical Prizes
Refinement: To compete for the Archicad or Chaos Prizes:

The Intersection Detail: Provide a 1:20 or 1:50 detail of how the new glass "Silver Lining" structural frame connects to the old concrete of the silos. Showing a "non-invasive" connection (where the new structure doesn't damage the old) is a sign of high architectural maturity.

Energy Loop Diagram: Create a diagram showing the "Footstep to Light" cycle—how the kinetic tiles power the memorial spotlight that shines into the night sky.

V. Economic Integration (The Bazaar)
Suggestion: You have included a traditional bazaar at the base.

Refinement: Make this more than just a market. Label it as a "Circular Economy Hub" where goods coming through the port are processed or sold by local Beirut startups. This links the port’s massive scale directly to the small-scale economic recovery of the surrounding neighborhoods like Mar Mikhael.
24.01.2026