GM Architects unveiled “The Museum of Civilizations”, a museum prototype in the heart of Beirut city, nestled within the geological and archeological layers of the civilizations that once made the city their home. The unveiling took place at the Metropolitan Art Society in Ashrafieh and gathered architecture and culture enthusiasts as well as selective members of the Lebanese media scene.
“The Museum of Civilizations” project was firstpresented last year at the 2014 Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition, whereit received international recognition;the project also won the 2015 Architectural Review MIPIM Future Projects Award in the Cultural Regeneration Category.
“Architecture should serve what surrounds it, not vice versa. Based on this premise, we created something that allows people to experience their culture beyond structures,” said Galal Mahmoud, President and Partner at GM Architects.“We would like to help the Lebanese people know more about their identity by looking back beyond the past few decades, tothe thousands of years that have preceded our present and hold plenty of memories that should never be forgotten,” Mahmoud further added.
Lebanon’s history lies in its infrastructureandgeographical features,home to all that is memorable and precious,but nowadays elapsedin the trenches of oblivion. “The Museum of Civilizations” comesas a strikingreminder of thisgreat historyat times when the city’s heritage is being devoured at an alarmingrate.
An exhibition showcasing the seven geological layers that the capital is built upon, spanning the Bronze Age, all the way to the Ottoman era,will run until April 24, 2015—(excluding Mondays)—from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Metropolitan Art Society, Ashrafieh, and is open to all of those curious to learn more about Beirut’s evolution throughout the years.