M1 office building - Beirut central district - 2016 - Architecture

M1 office building has been designed to blend into Beirut surroundings, a white reflective skin wraps the building, with walkways at the upper floors, pedestrian passage and communal space at the ground floor creating a ”city in a city “. M1 building is the first building in Lebanon to achieve the LEED® Platinum certification. The white fritted glass skin is designed to evoke a Cloud that diffuse light through its repetitive gradient patterns while reflecting Beirut historical district giving the envelope a kinetic aspect. The urban regulations imposed by Beirut central district, has defined the project lines and generated its massing. The building is divided into three separate offices blocks linked together with a glazed circulation network. A fully glazed glass corridor is connected to the main block through staggered glazed tubular walkways, floating inside the linear gap and allowing the main block to have a double light and ventilation orientation. At the upper levels, the glazed tubular walled walkways break up the office environment for employees as they walk from one part of the building to another, thus bringing a varied spatial experience within the project. When passing through the walkways, one comes into strong visual contact with the surrounding. Central courtyard at the back of the building allows light and sun to penetrate into the middle of the lot. The lower levels of the building have a strong relationship to the courtyard and the city. The lobby is connected to the courtyard which invites city users into the courtyard space. The material concept for the interior design of the project is kept simple, with sustainable materials including white engineered marble, bamboo wood and anodized aluminum panels.