Beirut: Rebuilding a Fragile City Part 2 Project 2021 Hanna Makhoul University for the Creative Arts | UK The thesis proposes a strategy for the reconstruction of Beirut. In August 2020 the largest none-nuclear explosion in history hit the city, destroying whole neighbourhoods and leaving around 300,000 people homeless. The Lebanese government left the citizens to deal with the aftermath of the destruction, and volunteers took on the responsibility to fix what was broken and to clean up the approximately 7,000 tonnes of shattered glass from the streets of Beirut. The project explores the opportunity to reuse the abundant glass as the key material for the reconstruction of Beirut. It proposes the design of a fibreglass factory in one of the city’s most deprived neighbourhoods, and the closest to the core of the explosion. The factory processes the glass shards into modular fibreglass components which are used to rebuild the city’s destroyed areas. Inspired by the arches and vaults of vernacular Arabic architecture, the mass- produced, curved and leaf-shaped components can be configured in multiple ways to form larger structures – the factory itself, a new market, and a new modular housing system. By combining the design of a place of production with the design of new residential quarters and a new public realm, the thesis turns the process of urban reconstruction into an act of civic hope and unity Tutor(s)