Explosion of Beirut: many worksites to come to the aid of the architectural heritage
Audio 01:16
According to the UN, 73,000 homes were damaged by the port explosion, as well as 163 schools, 3 hospitals and 20 clinics.
AP Photo / Felipe Dana
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
The explosion in Beirut is also a very heavy material toll.
According to the UN, 73,000 homes were damaged as well as 163 schools, 3 hospitals and 20 clinics.
But many repair projects are underway, in particular to come to the aid of the architectural heritage of Beirut, which has suffered significant damage.
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With our special
correspondent in Beirut,
Nicolas Falez
Several workers are busy in this room opened by an arcade on an interior courtyard. We are in a school in the Achrafieh district, guided by the architect Grace Rihan Hanna. “
The triple arch was going to fall - it was damaged - the house had cracks,
” she explains.
In fact, what we are trying to do is reproduce the arch identically, put the marble and the marble columns back, as it was before.
"
The day after the explosion, Grace and her colleagues mobilized to take stock of the damage in the most damaged neighborhoods of Beirut.
A colossal work
which then made it possible to collect international funding for the restoration of the buildings. “
In fact, what we tried to do first was to intervene in the housing,”
continues Grace Rihan Hanna.
Our interest was people, too. Not just the buildings. Also keep the social value, not just historical - the buildings - or architectural. Help came for the people and then there was also a project: we helped 150 families to return home, for minor interventions, with small budgets.
"
Some families have still not been able to return to their homes a year after the disaster.
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To read also:
Anniversary of the explosion at the port of Beirut: the demonstrations transformed into riots
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