Events

Post War Re-construction: Tools for After

Beirut campus, Gezairi building, Chafica Balaa Auditorium (GB 404)

The Embassy of Italy in Beirut, the Italian Cultural Institute of Beirut, in partnership with the School of Architecture and Design at the LAU, is organizing a symposium and accompanying exhibition on the overarching theme Post-War Reconstruction: Tools for After on April 16 at the Beirut campus.

This symposium and exhibition seek to investigate alternative ecological, natural, and biotechnological materials as part of a broader cultural shift toward sustainable construction and rehabilitation practices. The objective is to explore the potential reactivation of existing public structures through the integration of new functions and innovative materials, thereby contributing to the formation of a cohesive urban strategy rooted in a contemporary and sustainable design ethos.

 

Program

Symposium

Time Details
3:30 to 4:00 p.m.

Welcome and Introduction Note - Maroun El-Daccache 

Opening Speech:

  • H.E. Fabrizio Marcelli - Italian Ambassador
  • Angelo Gioe - Director of the Italian Cultural Institute of Beirut

 

Session One: Sustainability City

Moderated by Ramona Abdo

Time Details
4:00 - 4:20 p.m.

Living beyond Earth: Designing for life in the Unknown - Valentina Sumini
4:20 - 4:40 p.m.

The People Mover in Bologna: A Sustainable Infrastructure Between Technology, Architecture, and Landscape - Virginia Corbissiero, Studio Iosa Ghini
4:40 - 5:00 p.m.

From Hands to Habitat: Bio-Fabrication to Support a Multispecies Co-Existence and Community-Driven Sustainability - Selenia Marinelli

Session Two: Sustainable Architecture

Moderated by Sophie Khayat

Time Details
5:00 - 5:20 p.m. Raw Earth in Contemporary Architecture: Sustainability and Innovation - Maddalena Ferraresi 
5:20 - 5:40 p.m. Straw Bale Constructions: Sustainable Innovation in Architecture - Barbara Narici
5:40 - 6:00 p.m. ARUNDO: A new way of understanding structure, nature, functionality, participation, space, and sociality - Cristina Setti for Arundo Art (by Margherita Bertoli)
6:00 - 6:20 p.m. An Architectural Tool for After - Mauricio Cardenas Laverde, BooTech
6:20 - 6:30 p.m. Concluding note by Dean of the School of Architecture and Design Dr. Elie Haddad

 

Exhibition

Time Details
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Opening Word:

  • Dr. Chaouki Abdallah - President, Lebanese American University
  • H.E. Fabrizio Marcelli - Italian Ambassador
  • Angelo Gioe - Director of the Italian Cultural Institute of Beirut

 

The exhibition will remain open till April 28, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (excluding weekends and holidays).