HOUSE OF ARTS AND CULTURE | Rocchetti Stefano

The House of Arts and Culture is the first large cultural project to be built in Lebanon. Funded by a grant from the Sultanate of Oman to the Ministry of Culture, it will be located in the capital city of Beirut. The House will offer spaces for the performing and visual arts, for documentation and for training. An incubator for the development of creativity in the country, it will reinforce the role of Beirut as a central place in the international arts scene.

The central element of the House of Arts and Cultures is the multimedia ribbon, an element that runs through the eleven functional glazed boxes. This continuous element, wrapping simple volumes, makes these elements linked, designing one big fluid space and reflecting the deep union between Arts in order to make an harmonic ensemble. From the street at the edges of the area, in front of a remarkable spatial distribution, well visible from the outside thanks to the glazed box, the visitor will be induced to go in and enjoy the open spaces. From the big square at the ground level, the visitor could take part at all the amenities. Schools of Cinema, Theatre, Exhibition spaces especially designed for the new Contemporary Arts challenges, that needs adaptable and easily convertible spaces to host all of the functions.
The big Performance Hall is located in the only big volume that touch the ground, designed for different events like music concerts, dance performances, congresses.
The spaces inside the big volume will host most famous artists and the best happenings.
The transparent façade allows fusion between external and internal space; people will experience the spaces of the House of Arts and Cultures impressed by a mix of colours floating in a ribbon and brightening boxes with roof gardens,
The piled up volumes symbolize interaction between artistic and cultural productions linked by the multimedia ribbon.
Bars, coffees and gardens will lead young people in these spaces to have fun and, in the meantime, take information about the House of Arts and Cultures activities.