Beirut’s architects

The big news in the BCD this spring was the announcement of two mega-building projects.In April, the privately owned Abu Dhabi Investment House (ADIH) revealed that it had snapped up seven parcels of land just south of the vacant space that is Martyrs’ Square for Beirut Gate, a $600-million mixed-use residential and commercial project. The project’s footprint covers 21,447 m2 and, when finished, will consist of 178,500 m2 of built-up area. Preliminary plans include seven different deluxe buildings. When ADIH announced the launch of the project, its first in Lebanon, Beirut Gate was the largest development project on record in the Beirut Central District (BCD). But only for a month.In May, Kuwait-based Levant Holding announced it would begin financing Phoenician Village, a high-density, four-tower complex – including “intelligent” office space, apartments, retail outlets, hotels and entertainment facilities – as soon as it raised the $410.8 million in start-up capital. Levant