Beirut Central District - New Waterfront District

New Waterfront District

A good portion of the Beirut Central District lies on land reclaimed from the Mediterranean, providing an uninterrupted 3.5-km extension of the city shoreline. The Waterfront District is a prime, active, multi-use district with financial, business, residential, tourist and leisure facilities and extensive green areas and bold architecture, that overlooks the Saint George Bay and Mount Lebanon. When fully completed, it will contain two marinas, a waterside city park, Corniche and quayside promenades, with 29 ha of new waterside development land. The entire district comprises 73 hectares of reclaimed land north of the old seashore, enclosed within a terraced sea defense system designed to withstand centennial storms. Together with the Seaside Park, Corniche Beirut and the West Marina with land, quays and breakwater around, it includes development blocks and public domain extending north of Beirut Souks area to reach the corniche promenade, and east of the Seaside Park to reach the first basin of the Port of Beirut and the planned East Marina. The Seaside Park was recently the subject of a design competition among six international landscape architectural firms.

Solidere's phasing strategy includes dedicating a carefully planned zone for temporary uses while allowing perimeter development to take place. The strategy spatially focuses on a pedestrian spine that links the existing city center and Beirut Souks to the terraced waterfront corniche promenades. The spine is open for walking, jogging, cycling, kiting and other similar activities. Solidere created cultural, recreational and commercial attractions via constructing structures and open spaces with a wide-ranging program of activities, such as the Beirut Exhibition Center. Other temporary structures in the New Waterfront are a sports center, a beach club, a winter sky bar, and many restaurants and cafes. An area in the easter part of the district leased to Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure Center (BIEL); it includes exhibition halls, conference areas, a banquet pavilion and a seaside restaurant.

The marine works on the Waterfront District includes a submerged reef as first defense line extending 100 m seawards along the full extent of the Corniche - 80 reinforced concrete caissons, each 17.5 m wide, 27.75 m long and 10.5 m high, as second defense line. The superstructure provides two-level promenades over 1.3 km. Back-filling behind them provides a stabilizing bond and a third promenade, 5.5 m above sea level.
On September 16 2012, the New Waterfront District was the site of a huge mass held by the pope. The mass was the culmination of Pope Benedict XVI's three-day visit to Lebanon. An estimated 350,000 people gathered on the waterfront for the event.