Beirut's iconic Interdesign Building is a unique architectural curiosity in the Lebanese capital. It is a captivating, brutalist concrete structure that has stood largely empty since its completion.
Designed by the late Lebanese industrialist Khalil Khouri, the Interdesign Building was conceived back in 1973 – in the middle of what many consider to be the golden years of Khouri’s career – but the outbreak of civil war in Lebanon halted construction. After numerous false starts, the project was not completed until 1997, only to be seized because Khouri was bankrupted by the cost.
Now, after decades of dormancy, the Interdesign Building may at last be fulfilling a part of its original purpose. It is being revived in an exhibition called All Things Must(n't) Pass: A Subjective Recount Of Khalil Khouri’s Life And Career As A Designer.
Part of the We Design Beirut’s programme of exhibitions, it was instigated by event founder Mariana Wehbe alongside architects Bernard and Teymour Khoury, who are the son and grandson of Khalil Khouri.
“The story of the Interdesign Building is phenomenal,” Wehbe told The National. “We wanted to look back in time and have a serious talk about architecture. So, I reached out to Bernard and said: ‘I want you to do retrospective about your father.’”
Bernard Khoury explained: “The 60s and the early 70s were very prosperous years. My father's business was unique because it was very autonomous. Even the machines they used were manufactured in-house.
“He was like an artist, just at a much larger scale. It was a very modern project, but still in touch with the artisanal culture. They had very ambitious aspirations at the time, so he decided to design and build his own showroom.”
The layout of the Interdesign Building is genuinely one-of-a-kind, both inside and out. Khouri’s design revolves around a system of split-level floors arranged around a central staircase, creating an exhibition space where visitors are able to view displayed objects from multiple perspectives as they move through the building. Illumination is provided by large, vertically-aligned windows, feeding sunlight into the structure from above.
This striking construction is why the Interdesign Building has never been successfully repurposed over the decades since it was seized. Between the unusual windows and irregular floor plan, any attempt to alter the interior drastically restricts the supply of natural light. The structure is completely committed to Khouri’s original purpose, making it something of an architectural ‘white elephant’.
For Bernard Khoury, this exhibition is an opportunity to bring the space back to its originally intended purpose.
“I have a very unique situation here,” Khoury said. “The designer of the furniture also designed the building in which he was going to exhibit the furniture, which is the same building we are using for the show.
“It took 26 years to complete the construction of this building. There's something very odd about the fact that it was finished in a period where it was no longer functional. It was literally an instrument to exhibit these pieces.”
Displayed on the 24 plateaus of the Interdesign Building, are pieces of furniture recovered from the family factory – closed for more than 20 years, and vacated last year – that go back to the 1960s.
The exhibition also contains catalogues, drawings, artworks, architectural designs, models and prototypes from Khalil Khouri’s personal archives, tracing all the way back to his childhood and extending all the way through to the end of his life.
“He was certainly one of the most important modern architects in this territory,” Khoury explained. “In 1977, after the first round of fighting during the civil war, when we had hopes of a peace project, he was brought forward to design the masterplan for the reconstruction of the city centre of Beirut, which we are also showing.”
“We start the exhibition trying to trace the early years of his life – with historical documents – and then we move to the mix of his artworks,” explained Khoury.
“He never showed his art. He never sold his art. This is the first time we are bringing that up to the public. They're very particular, [with] a very singular syntax and aesthetic.”
In a way, the story of Khalil Khouri – exemplified through the Interdesign Building – is also the story of Lebanon as a whole. The structure is a monument to nostalgia for the country’s so-called Golden Era as the ‘Paris of the Middle East’, during the 1950s and 1960s.
At the same time, it also demonstrates the struggles and stagnation of Lebanese civil society brought about by the civil war and, more recently, the continuing economic crisis.
By revisiting his father’s legacy, Khoury hopes to inspire future creatives in Lebanon to recapture the country’s creative spirit, but also to educate them.
“Today, as a designer and an architect, I don't have the same ambitions as my father,” Khoury lamented. “I can't afford to, and these young designers don't even know that. Most of them are unaware that there was something much bigger than us, before us.
“We've seen very tough times, and I've lived through most of them. I've seen the incredible resilience of people, and the great stuff that emerged out of this territory – sometimes during the worst years, in the most difficult of times – but I think it's very, very important that we are also aware of what preceded us.
“I'm very worried that there is a danger of forgetting what is unique to this territory.”
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
Race card
1.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
2pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 84,000 (D) 1,400m
2.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,200m
3pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1.950m
3.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,800m
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 68,000 (D) 1,000m
Company%20profile
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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
More on animal trafficking
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Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
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Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
