VIRTUAL Lisbon Livable Cities

Abstract

This study examines the Horseshoe Building in Beirut’s Hamra district as a lens to explore the tension between globalization and local urban identity. Designed in 1957 by Polish architect Karol Schayer, the building introduced Lebanon’s first curtain wall construction, embodying modernist architectural ideals imported from the West. Yet, its artisanal assembly and integration into the vibrant social fabric of Hamra reflect a distinct localization of this global style. Over decades, the Horseshoe Building has witnessed Beirut’s cycles of prosperity, conflict, and recovery, evolving from a hub for intellectual and political exchange to a symbol of Lebanese artistic renewal through the Eternal Sabah mural painted by Yazan Halwani in 2015. Today, the Horseshoe Building is more than an artifact of modernist heritage; it is a site of adaptive reuse and urban resilience. During the Israeli attacks on Beirut in 2024, it became a node for humanitarian relief, as the first-floor Barzakh Coffee and Bookshop mobilized to provide hot meals to displaced families. This research argues that adaptive reuse of modernist structures in developing contexts provides critical insights into how societies negotiate global architectural forms while responding to local needs. By framing the Horseshoe Building as a microcosm of Beirut’s urban identity, this study highlights how modernist architecture, often criticized as a homogenizing force, can transform into a medium for survival, community-building, and cultural expression. It posits that such buildings, through their adaptability, can reconcile the global and the local, serving as nodes of livability and resilience in ever-shifting urban landscapes.