Beirut Terraces
Herzog & de Meuron · Beirut, Lebanon · 2017
Beirut Terraces is a residential high-rise composed from irregularly projecting floor plates that create deep balconies around almost every level. Herzog & de Meuron use the extended slabs as both outdoor living space and passive solar protection, giving the tower a strongly horizontal character despite its height. Variations in balcony depth, columns and planted terraces create individualized apartments rather than a uniform curtain-wall façade. Completed in 2017 near Beirut’s waterfront, the project is a major example of luxury housing using climate-responsive external space as the defining architectural system.