Currently under construction in Lebanon's capital, the Beirut Museum of Art, or BeMA, features a design that relies on extensive use of balconies to foster a sense of openness and inclusivity in a city that has a recent history of division and strife. The privately funded 12,000 sq m museum was designed by WORKac, an architecture firm based in New York City. Situated in the heart of Beirut, the museum is symbolically located on Damascus Street, the thoroughfare that served as a dividing line between warring factions during Lebanon's civil war, which lasted from 1975 to 1990. The museum's exterior includes 70 balconies, forming a "vertical promenade that blends indoor and outdoor spaces to create an 'open museum' for the city," according to a news release issued by the BeMA announcing a Nov. 7 discussion about the project that was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. "The museum's physical design expresses its core principles of openness, dialogue across communities and disciplines, and, most of all, hope," according to the release.
展开▼
