El-Berka Kasir
Benghazi, Lybia
Restoration and restyling of a former barracks and conversion into a museum, conference centre and hotel
Info
2008-2009: Project
Project: IDxEA
Client: O.D.A.C.
Lot surface area: 115.383mq
Total surface area: 21.003mq
Covered area: 14.916mq
Total volume: 157.133mc
Text
The many different rulers who have governed the city over the course of its history have bequeathed to Benghazi an enormous variety of architectural styles that reflect the diverse cultures that have predominated. Arab, Ottoman and Italian influences have left their mark on the city’s development, its streets and its buildings. It is in this evocative multicultural and multi-stylistic context that the restyling and refunctionalization project for the building known as El-Berka Kasir took shape. Used first as an army barracks by the Turks and then by the Italians, the building consists of a central portion erected by the Ottomans and two wings built by the colonists with Italian architectural elements of the period, integrated with local architectural features and construction methods.
The publicly-commissioned project awarded to IDxEA involves revitalizing the fort with the addition of a museum, a luxury hotel and a shopping center, in a conservative restoration effort allowing the building to maintain its relationship with its surroundings. From an analysis of urban planning policies that were virtually unchanged since the 30s, there emerged a need to reconnect the ancient military complex, visually at least, with the souk located in the heart of the medina. In an intense and fruitful dialogue with the client, the design concept was gradually hammered out. Intially a vertical construction was considered, in the form of a tower, but this was discarded to avoid constructing a landmark that would have little or no connection to the flat surrounding urban landscape. It was then decided to conduct an archaeological excavation to avoid adding new volumes, creating instead an underground level beneath the parade grounds, an area that would connect all the facility’s new functions: the hotel, museum, and shopping center. Following the Italian model, the conservative restoration effort entailed the preservation and consolidation of the existing structures as well as the preservation of the most significant additions made in over the centuries. The restoration will thus highlight the layers of history present in the building and show the extraordinary blend of materials, techniques and styles that makes El-Berka Kasir one of the most interesting architectural landmarks in the city and in Libya as a whole.
The publicly-commissioned project awarded to IDxEA involves revitalizing the fort with the addition of a museum, a luxury hotel and a shopping center, in a conservative restoration effort allowing the building to maintain its relationship with its surroundings. From an analysis of urban planning policies that were virtually unchanged since the 30s, there emerged a need to reconnect the ancient military complex, visually at least, with the souk located in the heart of the medina. In an intense and fruitful dialogue with the client, the design concept was gradually hammered out. Intially a vertical construction was considered, in the form of a tower, but this was discarded to avoid constructing a landmark that would have little or no connection to the flat surrounding urban landscape. It was then decided to conduct an archaeological excavation to avoid adding new volumes, creating instead an underground level beneath the parade grounds, an area that would connect all the facility’s new functions: the hotel, museum, and shopping center. Following the Italian model, the conservative restoration effort entailed the preservation and consolidation of the existing structures as well as the preservation of the most significant additions made in over the centuries. The restoration will thus highlight the layers of history present in the building and show the extraordinary blend of materials, techniques and styles that makes El-Berka Kasir one of the most interesting architectural landmarks in the city and in Libya as a whole.