August 4, 2020 – Beirut was hit by a massive explosion at its port.
Deadly as it was, the explosion killed hundreds and injured thousands more: the blast, which officials have blamed on more than 2,000 tons of ammonium nitrate being stored unsafely for years, spread a wave of darkness across a swathe of the city.
178 killed, 300 000 people homeless, 17 hospitals damaged (4 severe) and filled beyond over-capacity, ~40 building destroyed, ~3 400 buildings uninhabitable, 40,000 others affected, 16 port warehouses out of commission, 8 university and 140 schools affected, 480 heritage building damaged, and the whole infrastructure of transportation, electrical network, and water sourcing damaged.
– All sectors were affected.
This blast came in the midst of an economic crisis, health pandemic, and political war that has left more than 50% of the population living under the poverty line. The situation is especially dire for vulnerable families who need to feed, clothe and shelter themselves and their children.
Individual volunteers, social enterprises, and businesses set up with a mission to do good, dispatched teams working in construction, refurbishment, and food distribution; they were quick to adapt and step in to help the near quarter of a million people uprooted.
Lebanon GBC joined the entities working under the Order of Engineers and Architects (OEA), as engineers and architects to support in engineering assessments and to quantify the infrastructure, construction, social and economic damage of the Beirut explosion.
“The reconstruction is not only about rebuilding the city; it is about rebuilding its people and its social fabric. Seeing family, friends, neighbors, and all the Beirutis displaced, I cannot stop thinking of how to get them back here, to a better and greener city” said Walid Haddad, architect and member of the LGBC whose home got destroyed after the blast.
The first line assessment can be centered around the sustainable reconstruction and refurbishment of the urban landscape, infrastructure, and built environment. We are working towards an assessment that will incorporate initiatives and actions targeting a sustainable revived city with better energy and water efficiency, indoor air quality, and material sourcing.
The rebuilding with local companies, labor, and material can revive the economy. From LGBC perspective, we do hope that our experts and our Arz Green Building Rating System will be of support to rebuild a greener Beirut catered for Lebanon’s climate, urban landscape, and social fabric.
Looking towards a brighter future, we believe that we can build a greener Beirut – an evergreen Cedar that will rise from the ashes of a shattered city.
