Conservation of Beirut Cultural Heritage: From post-disaster recovery to long-term preservation

Swiss partners

• SUPSI: Giacinta Jean (main applicant)

Partners in the MENA region

• Lebanese University, Liban: Yasmine Makaroun (main applicant)

• American University of Beirut, Liban: Nadine Panayot

• Holy Spirit University Kaslik, Liban: Joseph Zaarour

Presentation of the project

Our project intends to progress from developing emergency interventions, aimed at securing architectural decorated surfaces of the *Bagdhadi ceilings*, studied in 2022 during the SUPSI first mission funded by the Research Partnership Grant (LH MENA call 2021) to designing long-term conservation measure, that could be efficient, essential, and sustainable.

The project will address the Sursock Palace as an ideal case study, a building of great historical and artistic relevance but at the same time representative of a wider reality as its construction and decorative elements are like those of other traditional Beirut houses.
The research will proceed on two parallel but closely interconnected fronts, considering:

1. Technical issues related to developing sustainable techniques to facilitate the conservation of other similar decorations and
2. Critical issues to understand if and how the traces left by the explosion of the silos in the port of Beirut could be completely erased or they could be integrated as a significant layer of history into the architectural spaces.

To reach this goal we will have to consider:

• a deep and sound knowledge of the existing construction technique, that will allow to design minimal and effective consolidation interventions with simple and easily replicable operations.
• compatible traditional materials, available locally and the possibilities to adapt them for our specific needs.
• the local people to be involved in the project by developing conservation strategies and techniques compatible with local skills and the involved stakeholders.
• how to foster sustainability into conservation, proposing preventive and minimal interventions, aiming at the retention of the original structure and materials with minimal alteration, removal or substitution of the original components.

Finding permanent solutions for the consolidation and presentation of these surfaces implies considering not only their material dimension but also their artistic and cultural value. Taking into consideration the severe losses suffered by the internal spaces it will be important to reflect on how to address the problems of image integration, based on the discussions opened with the two round tables that were organised by SUPSI and the Lebanese project partners in July 2022 and in April 2023, finding a delicate balance between reconstructing the original surfaces as they were and including the traces of their sad history.