building law

Field Watch

The Collapse of the Rishani Building in Chouaifat Exposes the Failures of the Owner, Municipality, and the General Directorate for Urban Planning

Just about a week after the complete collapse of a building in Sahra Chouaifat, another tragedy struck on Monday, February 19, 2024. The Rishani building in the Ain neighbourhood of Chouaifat collapsed on …

Article

Sahra Chouaifat Building Collapse:

The threat of buildings constructed between 1990 and 2005

Yesterday, a 5-storey building collapsed in Sahra Choueifat. As a result, about 13 families and a number of shops were displaced, all of which survived by chance. The collapse was also followed by …

Investigation

A Month After the Collapse of the Mansourieh Building

Engineering, a Profession Hijacked by the Market

In this article, we investigate the case of the collapsed building in the Yazbek-Hamoush residential complex in Mansourieh (16 October 2023), in an effort to raise necessary questions about the causes of the …

Law Commentary

From Dalieh in 1995 Until Today: A New Extension of the Hotel Exemption Law

Proposing a law aiming at “Extending the application of Law No. 264 (extending the work of the law related to exempting hotels from some provisions of the Building Law).”

The law proposal was submitted on 20/3/2023, and has not yet been referred to parliamentary committees.

Project

Ground to Dust: Systems of Extraction and the Search for Spatial Justice

This exhibition at Beirut Art Center is Public Works Studio’s first institutional presentation. Rather than approach the format of the exhibition with any kind of finality, PW has created a site as unstable …

Law Commentary

The “Murr Floor” Project Returns: The Government Provides no Solution to the Housing Crisis and Increases Speculation on Land Prices

A proposal to amend Article 66 of Law No. 144 (Budget Law).

It has been included in the agenda of the Parliament on 07/12/2021.

Law Commentary

MP Anis Nassar submits another exemption proposal for the displaced: a solution towards return or an escape from the solution? 

Proposing a law for the exemption of the displaced from construction fees.

It was referred to the Finance and Budget, Administration and Justice, and the Affairs of the Displaced committees, but it has not been studied yet.

Research-Based Article

Baalbek: Construction as a Material for Partisan Clientelism

After an introduction to the urban social context of the city, we will focus in this text on construction permits. The latters are read as a tool used to violate social norms in …

Project

The Architect, the Law, the Sponsor and the Maid’s Room

This installation aims to deconstruct the process of (re)producing «The Maid’s Room» using a combination of archival documents, audio clips, and a sectional model. Through this work, we hope to encourage the public …

Publication

Think Housing

In an effort to advocate for affordable housing and more inclusive cities, Think Housing competition sought innovative proposals for inclusive urban housing options that challenge the dominant models of urban development by reversing …

Project

Think Housing: The First Competition for Housing Alternatives in Beirut

In an effort to address the affordable housing shortage in Beirut, Think Housing competition sought innovative proposals for inclusive urban housing options that challenge the dominant models of urban development, by reversing ongoing …