There's something at once improbable and familiar, a little loud but also deeply human, about one of the newest additions to Beirut's evolving urban skyline. Stone Garden is an off-kilter 13-storey building featuring earthy striated facades, irregular elevations and glazing, planted balconies, and a mix of residential and office space with a publicly accessible art gallery and cafe.
Located midway between Beirut’s port area, the buzzing artsy district of Mar Mikhael and the glitzy but sterile downtown, Stone Garden was 10 long years in the making. Commissioned by the three children of the late Lebanese Modernist architect Pierre El Khoury, it had only recently been completed when the August 4 port explosion happened, leading to substantial external, but not structural, damage.
"Everything that was metal and glass was shattered because of the strength of the blast," says Lina Ghotmeh, the Lebanese architect, who lives in Paris, who designed the building.
While desperately trying to find out how family and friends were affected, she remembers also being anxious to discover if the building was still standing. Thankfully for Ghotmeh, for whom buildings are much more than architecture, it was.
"I try to imbue my projects with spirit, personality, humility. Buildings should talk to people and tell stories, and maybe also be political and social."
One way this project “talks” is by referencing the site’s history, where the city’s first concrete factory and El Khoury’s office once stood. “On the second floor of the new building, the windows are more vertical, in contrast to the others, to echo the outlines of the windows of the old building where El Khoury worked,” says Ghotmeh.
This notion of memory, something she refers to as “the archaeology of the future”, where every new layer is drawn from traces of the past, is crucial to Ghotmeh. In this project, there’s the memory of the building that came before, the memory of the El Khoury family, and also the memory of a city that has been reshaped over centuries.
"Beirut is like an open archaeological site, constantly revealing its guts and its history," she says. "It built in me a desire for reconstruction, a curiosity towards history and archaeology, and shaped my belief that architecture should belong to its ground, its earth, its climate."
Fittingly, Stone Garden's highly original and tactile combed facade eschews standardised materials and techniques for a mix made out of cement, metal fibres and local earth that was entirely applied by hand. Though the tower is tall compared to its low-rise 1950s neighbours, when viewed from a distance, it looks modest.
Much has been said and written about the destruction and subsequent redevelopment of the heart of the city after the civil war. The entire downtown area was bought out by Solidere, a public-private property company founded by former prime minister Rafik Hariri, which rebuilt the city centre and filled much of it with gleaming, expensive and unusually shaped towers and lofts by "starchitects", both foreign and Lebanese.
Ghotmeh's project, a joint venture between the El Khoury family and Red Development, a company that had previously only worked on one building in Beirut, is located just outside the area that falls under Solidere and represents a refreshing shift.
"I wanted my project to ask the question: 'What can we build in Beirut today? What is the identity of this place?'" One of the main criticisms of the city's downtown is its lack of soul and lack of sensitivity to the history and memory of the city, she says.
“I wanted to explore our relationship to the memory of Beirut and try to create a project that had an architectural identity, but was also attached to its place. I didn’t want it to be a signature building, but it isn’t a neutral project, either. That’s important to me, because it starts a conversation and it allows us to grow rather than be static.”
Working on major construction in Lebanon had its challenges. "In terms of organisation, it was chaotic at times," Ghotmeh admits. "But this chaos is partly what allowed for a certain creativity and experimentation on site, too."
What did bother Ghotmeh was the lack of proper framework or regulations for health and safety. "This made me angry," she says. "Together with the developer we tried to do as much as we could, but it's just not common practice there. It's a problem and it has to change."
As for being a woman on an all-male team in a largely male-orientated field, Ghotmeh says she never felt anything but comfortable. “It was very much a human relationship focused on sharing the vision of the project.”'
None of this was a surprise to her, given how much female leadership there is in Lebanon. “A lot of women are leading the charge for change there. Even if they don’t always reach representation in government, they are on the ground, running organisations, working hard and making things happen.”
Though she has lived in France since 2003, and has worked in many countries, Ghotmeh feels endlessly drawn to the Middle East. "It has such a rich culture and history, and I think many ground-breaking projects can and will grow out of the identity and history of the region."
However, her three other projects in Lebanon – a hotel in the Bekaa valley, a mixed-use tower and a private collector's museum – are all on hold owing to the country's economic and political instability. But Ghotmeh is keeping busy with a confidential project in the UAE, low carbon leather workshops for Hermes in Normandy and the urban rehabilitation of the Montparnasse Tower district in Paris, among others.
This state of affairs made Stone Garden's long fruition all the more special. "I had been wanting to contribute something to my home town for a long time," she says. "But it's also been a form of psychotherapy, if I am honest, and has helped me better understand my relationship with the city." Moving back and forth between a project that was "very personal and extremely collective, has been very interesting, too".
She remains defiantly hopeful about Lebanon. “People have a great energy and will for change, and there is so much history and culture there. It will take time, but I hope social justice, discipline and sustainable creativity will prevail.”
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Day 3 stumps
New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)
Pakistan require another 139 runs with 10 wickets remaining
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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
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Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
TV:
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
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Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
