Bassel Fleihan Memorial
IGA role: Full design
Location: Beirut Central District, Lebanon
Bassel Fleihan, formerly a major advisor, deputy in the Lebanese Parliament and then later on the Minister of Economy and Trade was cherished by all Lebanese, not only due to his achievements in accelerating Lebanon’s accession to the World Trade Organization and in modernizing a number of economic and trade-related laws, in particular in the fields of consumer protection, competition, food safety, e-commerce and intellectual property rights, but also, for his closeness to the people and his peaceful character. Therefore, being honored through a memorial was a natural reaction for someone who dedicated his life for his country and lost it tragically.
Colorful flowers form the first strips as a separation and protection from the road; then follows the sidewalk linking the residential area to the Corniche.
At the junction of different roads and close to Beirut’s busiest waterfront, the selected site is 150 meters away from where Bassel Fleihan shared the same destiny with the assassinated Prime Minister Rafik El Hariri. Inspired from the surroundings constantly in motion and the waves of the nearby Mediterranean Sea, the space is designed in gentle curvilinear shapes running parallel in planted and paved surfaces.
Along the sidewalk and influenced by the image of Fleihan’s life course and personality, a distinguished yet subtle path elevates from the ground and flips smoothly in a wave-like movement to reveal a pedestal on which a statue of him stands. This pedestal is designed to carry in different forms the important dates, achievements or quotes illustrating Fleihan’s life course. A row of vegetation finally concludes the setting then wraps around the bench near the statue to screen off both the traffic and pedestrian flow and allow for an intimate enclosure for meditation.
The location of the bench in relation to the statue symbolizes how close Bassel Fleihan was to the people. The pavement’s light color avoids the absorption of heat when exposed to direct sunlight complying with a ‘green’ approach. The lighting design is reduced to highlighting the backdrop of plants, the base of the statue and a narrow thin beam accentuating the important features.
