VIRTUAL London Heritages Conference

Abstract

This paper will examine the factors that triggered the integration of traditional architectural features into the designs of modernist architects in the Levant. In the late 1900s, the architectural style of the Levant area saw a change as traditional minimalism was combined with Western modernist ideas of form and space. This confluence gave rise to a distinctive architectural style that combined the straightforwardness and practicality of traditional minimalism with the inventive design ideas of Western modernism. The paper will identify socio-political issues that the modernist movement in the Levant reacted to. Additionally, it will recognize the components of classic Levant architecture, such as arched entrances and courtyards, that have survived these socio-political shifts and eventually have been incorporated into Levantine architecture. Subsequently, the paper will ascertain the shared components of architecture seen in both traditional Lebanese and modernist architecture. The design ideas often centered on climatic adaptability, privacy, and cultural representation. The buildings showcased a fusion of basic geometric shapes with conventional embellishments such as domes or arches. Such incorporation of both traditional and modernist architectural styles in the local urban environments fostered a dynamic exchange between pre-existing and contemporary styles, thereby influencing the distinct character of a city like Beirut in the Levant area. Consequently, the paper explores how traditional minimalism was amalgamated with Western modernist concepts of form and space to establish the architectural style of the Levant region in the late 1900s.