Update: Tripoli Tower, Tripoli, Lebanon by Adrian Lahoud

* An important update: My apology for this mistake. Indeed, this is not Libya but Lebanon. Of course, Tripoli is the capital of Libya. Yet Adrian Lahoud's project is the city of Tripoli, Lebanon.
A warm Thank to Stephanie Bashir for having contacted me about this unforgivable mistake.

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While Lebanon is facing plausible change — yet look before you leap, one may say —, architect Adrian Lahoud announced his collective tower for the city of Tripoli, that is to say a new building typology.

Collective Tower — Master plan © Adrian Lahoud. Originally appeared on archdaily

Given Tripoli's existing high density fabric, it would be a huge change for Tripoli even in terms of architecture.

Tripoli — Existing high density fabric © Adrian Lahoud

Master plan © Adrian Lahoud. Originally appeared on archdaily

Why?
With this flexible triple support structure, Adrian Lahoud proposes another building typology. This collective tower is a bundle of three smaller towers connected in the middle for structural stability which can be married to high density in a low scale existing context.

Mid-level plan © Adrian Lahoud
> The mid-level podium is structured by a trefoil geometry that is
driven by the geometry of the center point between the stems.

This strategy articulates two axes: 1. the public podium level occurs at the mid-rise of the tower, while the ground condition — now shaded by the volume — can take on a more active public character; 2. this  tower will act as a series of semi-autonomous scalar problems, each problem being registered in the building in different ways. Adrian Lahoud aims at developing a generic and repeatable strategy at each register.

Tripoli — Periphery of expo site © Adrian Lahoud

The location of the structural stems of the three tower can shift according to site conditions; either to align to smaller existing plots at the ground level or else to minimize excessive over-shadowing of the context by deforming above the mid-level.

Adaptive facade © Adrian Lahoud
> different type of facade that adjusts to environmental parameters. The facade
system consists of pleated surface that can narrow and expand its apertures in order to control solar penetration to the interior.

In turn, the envelope can thicken and narrow within a certain bandwidth in order to adapt the floor plan at each level to variable conditions. The facade system is based on a pleated surface that can narrow and expand its apertures in order to control solar penetration to the interior. The mid-level podium is structured by trefoil geometry driven by the geometry of the center point between the stems.
Poche, voids and interstitial spaces between these systems allow for a strategic autonomy to emerge. By selectively delimitating the part-part relation, the functionality of each part becomes less dependent on that of its neighbors. Because each scale poses a distinct problem to the building (support,, volume, solar penetration, floor area), the separation of each system frees the parts to express different functionalities based on the problem being posed to them. In this way, the diagrammatic complexity of the situation can decomposed into a series of generic strategies defined by the presence or absence of relationality between scales.

For which reason?
Adrian Lahoud's design envisions to explore different type of urban transformation, such as these old urban high density fabrics.

Blind spot © Adrian Lahoud. Originally appeared on archdaily

Tripoli illustrates these old and -finely-grained cities composed of small scale forms developed by tradition and necessity over centuries.

Nested system © Adrian Lahoud
> The project is designed as the collection of a series
of semi-autonomous scalar.
Components have been nested to form the collective tower.
It is a bundle of three smaller towers connected into the middle
for structural stability.
The idea is to develop a generic and repeatable strategy at each register

It is obvious that the evolution of technologies in terms of design, engineering and manufacturing allows for new buildings typologies in these cities.

Oscar Niemeyer Site, Tripoli © Adrian Lahoud

View from port © Adrian Lahoud

Proposing another type of density, this tower aims at reducing buildings footprint that minimally disrupts the fabric of the existing  cities.

Collective tower — Adaptive stem structure © Adrian Lahoud
> various patterns of land use of the collective tower
surrounded by myriad of small, variable site conditions that
are characteristics of fine-grained sites in older cities.

While disrupting the existing buildings typology, the collective tower will adjust to its surrounding environment creating a new type of relationship with the existing urban objects.

View from the park © Adrian Lahoud. Originally appeared on archdaily

Collage of street © Adrian Lahoud

Who is he?
Adrian Lahoud is an architect, urban designer and researcher. Lahoud understands the discipline as a pursuit that ranges across material and intellectual domains. Through design studios, doctoral research and private practice He explores different types of urban transformation. For Lahoud, the city is a site of conflict that solicits the discipline into action. The discipline responds by producing speculative objects that redraw the lines of disputes.
Existing at the intersection of urbanism and architecture, this work explores the usage of technology in the design of cities, particularly the way its form and infrastructure adapt to crises. In 2010, he guest edited a special issue of Architectural Design (1D) titled Post-Traumatic Urbanism. Forthcoming in 2011 is 'Project for a Mediterranean Union' exploring transformations in infrastructure networks in North Africa and the Middle East. His doctorate titled 'The Life of Forms in the City' sets out an idea of the 'part' as a response to the problem posed by scale.
His work has been exhibited internationally, including countries such as China, Germany, Italy and the United States. He hosted workshops with Dan Graham, Diller + Scofidio, Vito Acconci, Atelier Bow-Wow, Wolf D. Prix, Eyal Weizman and Graham Harman, and with institutions such as the Royal College of Arts London, Chinese University of Hong Kong, American University of Beirut, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shenzhen University and the Architectural Association London, where has also lectured and worked as a guest critic.
Lahoud is a strong advocate of the discipline and its broader cultural remit, through various forums, curatorial work and writing, he strives to create an expanded audience for architecture. His professional work has moved across a broad range of scales and disciplines including architecture, art, urban design and landscape.
In 2003 he established an award winning private practice. Currently, he is Course Director of the Master of Advanced Architecture in Urban Design at The University of Technology Sydney


Building fact
Project: Collective Tower
Architect: Adrian Lahoud
Assistants: Alina McConnochie, Sallie Hsu, Regan Ching, Erik Escalante
Location: Tripoli, Lebanon
Credit images: Adrian Lahood

Images originally appeared on Adrian Lahoud website. Some originally appeared on archdaily.

source: archdaily