Lebanon Famous Buildings: 6 Gems of Lebanese Architecture

February 13, 2025

Unveiling the Hidden Gems of Lebanese Architecture

Blending reverence with a call to action, the stunning book Modernist Beirut shines a spotlight on the transformative decades when Lebanon blossomed into a hub of Mediterranean modernist architecture.

This isn’t just any book—it’s a visual journey. With breathtaking photographs, it captures the essence of Lebanon’s distinctive architectural heritage, a heritage now teetering on the edge of disappearance. One poignant example is the Rachid Karameh International Fair in Tripoli, Lebanon’s second-largest city. Designed in the 1960s by renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer, this sweeping concrete structure—emblematic of Niemeyer’s signature style seen in Brasilia—was rushed onto UNESCO’s list of World Heritage in Danger in early 2023.

In Beirut, the story continues with countless buildings scarred by years of neglect or the catastrophic port explosion of 2020. Published by Éditions Norma, Modernist Beirut is both “a defense of” Lebanon’s rich, multifaceted architectural identity and a “tribute to the Lebanese people, whose resilience drives them to rebuild time and again.” Behind this evocative work are art dealer Guillaume Excoffier and photographer Matthieu Salvaing, two passionate champions of both Lebanon’s soul and its architectural heritage. Together, they vividly resurrect Lebanon’s bold architectural past.

Celebrating and Protecting Lebanon’s Architectural Legacy

Spanning around thirty diverse architectural projects—from government institutions and private villas to religious sites and commercial centers—the book paints a vibrant picture of Lebanon’s architectural evolution. Often characterized by a brutalist aesthetic, these structures glow with natural light and are enriched with radiant polychromy. Through Matthieu Salvaing’s lens, monumental forms, intricate geometric patterns, and the distinctive light of the Middle East come together to narrate the story of a country that, by the mid-20th century, had carved out its own unique architectural voice.

Lebanon: A Beacon of Architectural Innovation in the Middle East

Lebanon has long been a trailblazer in Middle Eastern modern architecture, using its urban landscape to express a yearning for freedom since gaining independence in 1943. This spirit of openness, coupled with Beirut’s strategic location, fueled a boom in commercial and financial exchange during the 1950s. The resulting economic and social prosperity ignited a surge of architectural creativity, especially in the design of bold public buildings and luxurious private homes. Under the guidance of leading Lebanese and international architects, new brutalist forms began to rise, drawing inspiration from European modernist pioneers like Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe.

From the sculptural Ministry of Defense by André Wogenscky to the Starco Center—a dynamic interplay of horizontal layers and levels crafted by Swiss architects Addor and Juilliard—and the raw, mesmerizing brutalism of Inter Design by Khalil and Georges Khoury, Lebanese architecture forged its own version of hedonistic brutalism. In these groundbreaking designs, the starkness of concrete is softened by warm polychromy, flowing forms, and Middle Eastern motifs like brise-soleil and mashrabiya patterns. The private villas showcased in the book embody this daring opulence, blending local traditions with European modernist influences, particularly in the ethereal Cantilevered House by Spanish architect Julio Lafuente.

Masterfully captured by Matthieu Salvaing and thoughtfully dissected, these iconic and lesser-known structures stand as enduring monuments to Lebanon’s architectural brilliance. Despite the trials of time and the turbulence of the region’s history, these buildings continue to embody the profound optimism of their visionary creators—architects who dreamed of constructing a more open, vibrant society through their groundbreaking designs.