Living in Lebanon, and especially in Beirut, has opened my eyes so much on abandonned architectures, non-funcional old buildings and forgotten cultural heritage.

For my final year project, I chose a site in Beiteddine, a traditional village 40 kilemetres away from Beirut.

Currently, the site contains what was once a Silk Factory, inaugurated in 1893, but abandonned since the 70s, because of the high cost of this luxurious industry.

Near this factory is a traditional lebanese house, currently suffering from low maintenance and the poor social life of the village.

Therefore, I decided to convert and renovate the old factory in a museum, to expose this rich industry that the village and the surroundings were famous for.

An adjacent extension of this museum would host the new factory, with a mirror facade to neutralize and punctuate the nature and existing trees. This modern factory will use the site and museum to combine traditional textile knowledge with contemporary skills. 

As for the traditional house, it would be converted into a workshop for fashion and textile major students, who would explore the art of modern silk making, with contemporary workshops in 3D clothes printing.

Being in Beiteddine, a village famous for its summer art festival in the Ottoman Palace, and having this site on the main road leading to the festival, an event space would be concieved to host events every end of the workshop season, and to showcase the new products the factory is making.