SOLIDERE receives international award

Standing adjacent to the An Nahar building, the garden was designed by the Landscape Architect Vladimir Durovijc, within the scope of the development and reconstruction of Beirut City Center

An official ceremony took place on the 4th of September in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in the presence of the Prime Minister, whereby His Highness the Agha Khan presented the award to Dr. Nasser Chammaa, Chairman and General Manager of SOLIDERE, represented by Mr. Raphael Sabbagha, member of the Board of Directors and by Mr. Vladimir Durovijc. Celebrating its 30th anniversary since its establishment in 1977, the Agha Khan Award for Architecture is handed out every three years, and its prize amounts to US $500,000.

This world-renown award pays also tribute, today, to the excellence in achievement by SOLIDERE in the execution of its most distinguished projects, in conformity with the highest international standards of architecture and engineering, thus propelling once more SOLIDERE onto the forefront of the world business scene, more particularly that of real estate development.

Executed by SOLIDERE in Beirut City Center over the last 12 years, all of these distinguished projects have helped turn the Company name into a world-renown business address, a magnet for Arab and international investors, as well as a most successful tourist destination. Now strong of achievements, SOLIDERE has decided to establish "SOLIDERE INTERNATIONAL", a sister company whose object is to invest its highly-acclaimed expertise in the financing, development and management of massive real estate projects outside Lebanon, that is, in the Arab world and Europe.

It is worth noting here that, together with 8 other architectural projects, the Samir Kassir Garden was chosen by an independent international jury, among 343 world-class projects. During the first phase of the competition, twenty-seven projects were designated, of which 9 were retained, during the second phase, for the Agha Khan Award for Architecture for the year 2007. The Samir Kassir Garden occupies 815 sq m of a quiet and serene landscape, with 2 historic ficus trees overshadowing a rectangular reflective pool, an oasis of calm and contemplation in the midst of a most vital business hub.