Modern Beirut, a path to recovery?

This talk will explore Modern Architecture in Lebanon, its particularities, its fate, and why it is important to preserve it. Dr. George Arbid, Director and Co-founder of the Arab Centre for Architecture will present the work of ACA over the past 12 years following up with their post-blast actions. Founded in 2008 in Beirut, the Arab Center for Architecture (Association for the preservation and dissemination of modern Arab built heritage) is a non-profit organization addressing modern urban design, architecture, design, and planning in the Arab world.

Dr. George Arbid, is an architect with successive teaching positions at the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts, the American University of Beirut, and the Lebanese University. He received a Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures en Architecture from ALBA and a Doctor of Design degree from Harvard University. Prior to his stay at Harvard, he was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the History, Theory and Criticism Program at MIT.

His area of interest covers mostly modern architecture in Lebanon and the region. Dr. Arbid is the co-founder and director of the Arab Center for Architecture. He is a member of the heritage committee at the Lebanese Ministry of Culture.

Dr. Arbid served on several competitions and award juries, including the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award 2019.

Aude Azzi, holds a Bachelor and Master of Architecture from the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts in Beirut. She received her Master in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University in New York.

Before joining Stiff + Trevillion in 2019, she was the Administrative Program Coordinator of GSAPP’s New York Paris Program.Aude has taught at Pratt Institute and Columbia University. Her research explores Gaston Bachelard’s Poetics of Space and the work of Japanese architect Masato Otaka. She is a member of the Arab Centre for Architecture in Beirut & a NextGen member of The Architecture Club, London.

The Architecture Club | Next Generation discussions