Back when I wrote about the new Aishti contemporary museum opening soon, I mentioned that there were talks about building a huge museum of Modern and contemporary Lebanese art in central Beirut by 2020 and that Tony Salamé, Zaha Hadid (who unfortunately died recently), Hans Ulrich Obrist and Julia Peyton-Jones of London’s Serpentine Galleries were involved.
It appears that the project has moved a step closer to becoming a reality with the announcement of the shortlisted architects for the project:
109 Architectes s.a.r.l.
Bernard Khoury / DW5
Hashim Sarkis Studios, LLC
HW architecture
ibda design
IDC / Verner Johnson / ETEC SA
L.E.FT Architects
Lina Ghotmeh / DGT Architects
Najjar Najjar Architect
Raëd Abillama Architects / Nadim Khattar
WORK Architecture Company (WORKac)
Yatsu Chahal Architects (YCa) / Said Jazari Consulting Office (SJCO)
Youssef Tohme Architects and Associates (YTAA)
The winner will be announced this autumn and the 2,780 square meter museum is due to open by 2020. As far as the location is concerned, it will be close to the National Museum as shown in the picture above and “representatives from the Association for the Promotion and Exhibition of the Arts in Lebanon (Apeal), the non-profit organisation behind the museum, have already signed a long-term lease agreement with the Université Saint Joseph for the site”. The museum will be funded through a private fundraising campaign.
Needless to say, I’m glad we’re getting a new museum but if the parking lot is being transformed into a museum, and knowing the area, no one would be able to visit it or the National Museum because there’s no place to park anywhere near. I hope they’re considering underground parking or other alternatives.
For those interested, you can follow the progress on [A museum in the making] website.
Thank you Sana!