MACAM 2.0

Abstract

Art is an essential part of the life of society. It offers huge aesthetic and cultural values to everyone who experiences it. Sadly, in Lebanon, art in general, is underrated, and Lebanese art specifically is neglected. To shed light on Lebanese art and artists, art historian César Nammour and Gabriela Schaub launched a personal initiative to preserve, store, and showcase artworks at Nammour’s old factories in the village of Alita in the Jbeil district. After refurbishing two industrial buildings, the “Modern and Contemporary Art Museum”, also known as MACAM, came to life. In addition to different types of artworks, MACAM also offers educational tours for children and school students, artist workshops, competitions, and other interactive events that highlight the art scene in Lebanon. Unfortunately, regardless of the cultural and artistic values that MACAM offers, its venue lacks the architectural quality it deserves. In this thesis, we explore together the origins of MACAM and its founders, then we go on a quick tour through the different artworks available. After the tour, we dive into the problem and what motivates this architectural project, we explore similar cases where industrial buildings were turned into an art museum for inspiration, and after analyzing the site, we reach a program for our project where all functions and their areas are listed. The message of the late César Nammour, through MACAM, is valuable and his initiative should keep going, but it lacks the architectural aspect which gives better preserving and storing conditions while offering the experience of the optimum exhibition.