Restoration - Gholam 474

Gholam 474 - Heritage Building Restoration

2020 - 2021

Restoration | Preservation | Heritage

Beirut, Lebanon

Plot area: 155 m2
Built around 1874
Building height: GF + 1
Use: Residential
Credits: Nusaned NGO + AUB Neighborhood Initiative AUBNI
Contractor: CTI

The second component of the Salim Gholam Heritage Cluster, Rmeil Plot 474, required specialized intervention following its evacuation due to blast damage. The most significant impacts were seen in the roof’s wooden attic, the double-arched façade, and the second-level corner wall above the entrance.

Restoration of the double arch involved the meticulous dismantling, sorting, and remounting of stones using natural hydraulic lime. For the roof, we reinforced the attic’s wooden structure and installed Spirtech 200 mesh to prevent water infiltration before laying new red tiles. We also enhanced the building's structural integrity through "stitching," using galvanized metal strips and threaded rods to strengthen wall-to-wall connections. As with all our projects, the technical works, including electrical and mechanical upgrades, were complemented by transparent process presentations to beneficiaries, ensuring the community remained informed and engaged throughout the rehabilitation.

Nusaned is a humanitarian, community-based, and volunteer-led organization that operates with strict neutrality, remaining at an equal distance from all religions and refraining from any political activity. Nusaned’s program served as an emergency response to Beirut’s Port, driven by a holistic mission to bring residents back to their homes and restore their livelihoods. By focusing on the rehabilitation of Beirut’s built heritage at both the cluster and neighborhood scales, aiming to preserve not just physical structures, but the very socio-economic and cultural fabric of the city.
Learn more about Salim Gholam Heritage Cluster https://www.aub.edu.lb/articles/Pages/AUBNI_celebrates_Gholam_heritage.aspx
https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1346087/nusaned-rebuilding-beirut-sustainably.html