Photographer: Bahaa Ghoussainy | ArchDaily

Obeid Retail Complex / nunc Architecture and Design

Miwa Negoro — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 02:00:00 +0000

Obeid Retail Complex is a contemporary commercial hub in Lebanon's mountainous region that houses a major local supermarket chain and contributes to elevating its public presence and reach. The project introduces an unconventional architectural approach that redefines local retail experiences and has since attracted established brands, positioning the center as a new commercial destination.

J. G. Jabbra Library and R. Nassar Central Administration Building / Atelier Pagnamenta Torriani

Hana Abdel — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 07:00:00 +0000

The Lebanese American University commissioned Atelier Pagnamenta Torriani to design a new Library and a Central Administration building on its Byblos Campus—above the city of Jbeil (or Byblos), where the Phoenicians codified the world’s first phonetic alphabet. The excavated rock and the bare mountain above the site were my first impressions while visiting the Byblos Campus area. Thus, the exposed sedimentary rock and the complex, stratified history of the region became the main inspiration for APT’s design.

International Community School of Baghdad / Studio Muduni

Valeria Silva — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 19:00:00 +0000

The Baghdad International School embodies a modern reinterpretation of Baghdad's architectural legacy. Here, the concept of the "wall" evolves from a historical symbol of power and fortification to a multifunctional structure that conveys both security and openness. The wall transforms into a porous and interactive membrane, accentuated by blue metal plug-in structures that house vibrant arts, sciences, and public engagement programs. The building's pixelated facades allow it to merge with the urban fabric of Zayouna, simultaneously standing out with its unique design language. At its core, the school embraces a central courtyard, a dynamic crossroads where students from various disciplines gather, reflecting the communal essence of Islamic courtyards. This integration of communal spaces extends to the rooftops, made accessible and functional, resonating with the traditions of Islamic architecture where rooftops and staircases were integral to both the building's utility and its social fabric. These design elements collectively create an environment that is not only secure and educational but also deeply rooted in the cultural and historical context of Baghdad.

Herzog & de Meuron’s Switch House Through the Lens of Bahaa Ghoussainy

Jullia Joson — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, Tate Modern’s Switch House was Tate Modern’s latest extension in 2016, radical in form and surface, yet intimately relative to the vast building to which it joins, which opened as London’s foremost modern art gallery in 2000. Shot recently by Bahaa Ghoussainy, the building that opened in 2016, is a model for museums in the 21st century.

Herzog & de Meuron's Feltrinelli Porta Volta Through the Lens of Bahaa Ghoussainy

Dima Stouhi — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 06:30:00 +0000

Herzog & de Meuron's rehabilitation of Porta Volta took up themes of Milanese urbanism and architecture, which has defined the city's urban fabric throughout the years. The project's design was developed after an intensive historical analysis of the site - a site which dates back to the 16th century and holds remains of when the Romans defined the city's boundaries. Architectural photographer Bahaa Ghoussainy captured Herzog & de Meuron's Lombardian-inspired structure, highlighting its modernized nod to historic architecture.

Rafael Moneo Receives the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of the 2021 Venice Biennale

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 08:00:00 +0000

The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia was awarded to Spanish architect, educator, critic, and theoretician Rafael Moneo. Selected by the Board of Directors of La Biennale di Venezia, upon recommendation of the Curator of the Biennale Architettura 2021, Hashim Sarkis, the acknowledgment will be awarded to the architect on Saturday, May 22nd, 2021 together with the Special Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in memoriam to Lina Bo Bardi.

The Corbusierhaus through the Lens of Bahaa Ghoussainy

Dima Stouhi — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 04:00:00 +0000

In response to the housing crisis in Europe after World War II, Le Corbusier began designing large-scale residential structures for the victims of the war. One of his most notable communal housing projects was the Berlin Unite d’ Habitation, also known as the Corbusierhaus. Completed in 1959, the project was designed to give Germany a more modern appeal, as it was trying to redefine itself after both the Second World War and Cold War.

Y Chalet / PARALX

Andreas Luco — Sat, 26 Sep 2020 19:00:00 +0000

The PARALX design approach always questions typologies, and Y Chalet is no different. This private residence in Faraya, Lebanon does not subscribe to the traditional “swiss chalet” profile of most homes in the area. Instead, it draws from the local topography to enhance views of the adjacent mountains, mimicking the natural plateau upon which the house sits. The 6,757-square-foot Y Chalet is located between the ski villages of Mzaar and Faqra. Inspired by the surrounding rugged environment and the nearby natural Faqra bridge, its monolithic form is clad with roughly textured agglomerate tiles that are manufactured locally. The white stone wrapping the polyhedron gives the house the appearance of blending into the snow in winter and standing out in the summer.

Plot # 1282 / Bernard Khoury / DW5

Daniel Tapia — Sat, 30 May 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Plot # 1282 is a residential project located on the northern periphery of Beirut at the proximity of one the city’s abandoned and unused railway terminal, military barracks, leftovers of agricultural land and a 30‐meter wide highway. The zone in which our project is located is not presently considered residential. The project’s program consists of 95 industrial lofts with surfaces ranging from 100 square meters to 650 square meters on a total built‐up area of 25,800 square meters.

Extension of Identity House / Paseo Architecture

Andreas Luco — Wed, 13 May 2020 19:00:00 +0000

The question of identity in architecture and its application, has been a crucial question in which lots of architects tried to answer based on their theories, circumstances, ideological background and school of thoughts. In the following Villa you will see a dialogue between the existent and the new extension. This dialogue makes the old house stand out with its material and its’ structural formation, yet it makes the new extension bold, young and has hidden characteristics of the old house, as if having the same genes but in 21 century language. In 1943 the first extension was done, it had different structure style but same material, in 1980 another extension was done that differed in structure, style and material.

Interbau Apartment House Through the Lens of Bahaa Ghoussainy

Dima Stouhi — Sat, 07 Dec 2019 04:00:00 +0000

For the 1957 International Builders Fair, Oscar Niemeyer developed the Interbau Apartment House, a modernist eight-storey building that sits on V-shaped pillars in the city of Berlin. While the building's facade consists of uniform windows and loggias clad with primary-colored mosaics, it is interrupted by enclosed pathways that connect the structure to the external elevator.

Unique Silhouettes of the Berlin Philharmonic Through the Lens of Bahaa Ghoussainy

Dima Stouhi — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 04:00:00 +0000

The Berlin Philharmonic by Hans Scharoun is one of the most prominent mid-20th century structures in the German city. The expressionist-style building with its bright-colored facade is the first of its kind by the German architect, as well as his most famous project to date. Scharoun’s design interprets rhythm and music as architecture, both conceptually and physically.

The Profound Symbolism of the Jewish Museum, Through the Lens of Bahaa Ghoussainy

Dima Stouhi — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 11:00:00 +0000

In the heart of Berlin resides an architectural metaphor of invisibility, emptiness, and anarchy forged by the Second World War upon the Jewish citizens. The expansion of the original Jewish museum, which was first organized as an anonymous competition by the Berlin government, was proposed as a means of bringing back Jewish presence, retracing their culture and religion into the German city. Renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, who was chosen to develop the project, used architecture as a form of expression, and created a museum that narrates the Jewish civilization before, during, and after the Holocaust.

Out-to-Out House / L.E.FT Architects

Daniel Tapia — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Located in the snow resort of Faqra - Lebanon, the two-story concrete house hugs its triangular corner site through a gently curved geometry, to create different outdoor spaces of varied spatial and environmental qualities. The house is formed of a rectangular ground floor (5.5m X 20m) volume containing the bedrooms and a hovering curved first floor above it (5.5m X 24m) containing the living quarters.

The Amir Shakib Arslan Mosque Photographed by Bahaa Ghoussainy

Dima Stouhi — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 09:30:00 +0000

In the town of Moukhtara, Mount Lebanon, L.E.FT Architects have transformed a 100-square-meter structure into a symbolic, picturesque mosque. The Amir Shakib Arslan mosque is a rendition of old versus new with a white steel structure overlaid onto an existing building of cross-vaulted masonry. The angular geometry of the steel plates is a result of the structure’s alignment in relation to Mecca.

Zaha Hadid's Issam Fares Institute Stands Out in New Photography by Bahaa Ghoussainy

Jack McManus — Sun, 20 May 2018 09:30:00 +0000

With its monumental form, swept diagonal lines and elevated concrete walkways, the Issam Fares Institute building at the American University of Beirut by Zaha Hadid Architects emphasizes movement, evoking the speed of contemporary life as it presides over a connecting system of pedestrian walkways. Begun in 2006 and completed in 2014, Hadid’s award-winning concrete and glass building makes a bold statement with its prominent 21-meter, two-story-tall cantilever, which creates a covered courtyard and reduces the footprint of the building to avoid blocking circulation routes. The elevated walkways carry pedestrians through the branches of huge Cypress and Ficus trees, many of which significantly predate the building at 120 to 180 years old.

Rafael Moneo's Beirut Souks Explored in Photographs by Bahaa Ghoussainy

Ella Comberg — Mon, 14 May 2018 08:00:00 +0000

When Spanish architect Rafael Moneo won the Pritzker Prize in 1996, the jury identified his ability to see buildings as lasting built entities—their lives extending beyond architectural drawings—as integral to his success. The South Souks, Moneo’s 2009 project in Beirut, Lebanon, indeed responds to a long history and anticipates a lasting future. After the city’s historic souq (outdoor marketplace) was destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War, developer Solidere began rebuilding the commercial area in 1991. As part of the project, Moneo designed an arcaded shopping district that follows the ancient Hellenistic grid and retains original street names.

Photos Capture the Luxurious Life Inside Herzog & de Meuron's Beirut Terraces

Zoya Gul Hasan — Sun, 07 Jan 2018 09:30:00 +0000

In the rapidly burgeoning city of Beirut, the post-war building boom is far from over. Much like its middle-eastern neighbors, it boasts of a plump share of designer architecture—as critic Oliver Wainwright refers to it, “a diverse shopping list”. It is here that the Beirut Terraces, a residential complex designed by Herzog & De Meuron, rises up to 119 meters, occupying a prominent place in the city’s skyline. In this collection of photographs by Bahaa Ghoussainy, one sees the Beirut Terraces from within, getting a glimpse of both the interior, as well as the multiple, unique views offered from inside the building.