Text description provided by the architects. The Lebanese American University commissioned Atelier Pagnamenta Torriani to design a new Library and a Central Administration building on its Byblos Campus—above the city of Jbeil (or Byblos), where the Phoenicians codified the world’s first phonetic alphabet. The excavated rock and the bare mountain above the site were my first impressions while visiting the Byblos Campus area. Thus, the exposed sedimentary rock and the complex, stratified history of the region became the main inspiration for APT’s design.
Another source of inspiration was the challenge of embracing Lebanon’s powerful light in full while softening it for diffused interior illumination. Both the library and the administration buildings are placed adjacent to the excavated rock, forming an open amphitheater, an unexpected inviting space, with the rock as a backdrop, juxtaposing the natural with the man-made. The new structures are conceived as dynamic forms, and their exterior skins are layered, providing shade and optimizing diffused light inside according to the orientation.
The interior spaces of the library are developed around a large atrium that acts like a hub, brings great luminosity, and allows for natural air circulation. In the design, the exterior spaces flow seamlessly inside, creating connectivity between the two. The interior spaces are fluid, open, and transparent. Throughout the project, the contrast between solid and transparent is apparent. During the day, the building facades are opaque and become more transparent in the evening. Above the amphitheater, a concrete wall displays the carvings of four alphabets that were historically used throughout the immediate Jbeil region.
Passive features inspired by the local typology are incorporated into the design: the double outer skin, Mashrabiya inspired, allows for shading, ventilation, and light diffusion, and the main open atrium acts like a chimney vent; detaching the buildings from the rock allows the Mediterranean sea breeze to circulate and ventilate the outdoor amphitheater and café areas. The solutions for natural ventilation and natural light team up together with photovoltaic solar panels to greatly reduce the reliance on and consumption of electrical energy, a scarce commodity in Lebanon.
The library and ancillary spaces create synergy among scholarly activities and social life while providing common ground for diverse student activities and forms of information: an inclusive space for exchange, communication, learning, and understanding. The wellbeing of the users, the main goal of both the Lebanese American University and the architects, is overall enhanced by the diffused light and serene atmosphere, accessibility at all levels, the continuous views to the exterior, the ample choice of study spaces inside and outside, and the custom-designed, ergonomic furniture crafted by local artisans.
