Zeytoune Square: Promenade Along the Corniche

It’s been a while since we have seen something really fresh reviving Lebanon’s past images of the 70’s. I mean I know we have new clubs, new restaurants and so on… but what about parks? A place to walk and enjoy the coastline… Well it seems that Solidere is on another mission to revive Beirut’s coastline.

Inspired by the qualities of the Old City, themes of shade, scale, levels, materials and movement are used to link the spaces, Solidere engaged Gustafson Porter to create The Shoreline Walk, a leisurely pedestrian promenade route that follows the line of the old coastline and straddles the boundary between the old and new cities while capturing and restoring the energy and vigor of the old Corniche promenade.

Along the Shoreline Walk,  five squares will provide areas to pause and relax: Harbour Square, All Saints Square, Shoreline Gardens, Zeytoune Square and Santiyeh Garden.

Research into each space revealed remnants of the character of the pre-war city that had been forgotten or destroyed. Each ‘memory’ generates the development of each square’s atmosphere, aligned with the facilities and functions required by a contemporary city to create a network of complimentary spaces. These spaces will be essential elements in the revitalization of downtown Beirut.

For now let’s enjoy the first one, Zeytoune Square located behind Starco Center in Mina El Hosn.