Solidere unveils its future plans for "Beirut City Center"

"As part of its commitment to rebuilding the Beirut City Center district, Solidere launched the major development of "Beirut Souks". Located at the heart of the city's primary road network, the 100,000 metre-square Beirut Souks will re-emerge as the major modern regional commercial destination of the third millennium and will play a major role in re-activating the city center of Beirut financially and culturally." said Mounir Douaidy, general manager of Solidere

Scheduled to be completed in 2006, the project combines the preservation of the site's architechtural heritage with the technology of modern commercial centres. Beiut Souks are designed to include facilities for leisure and commercial use, landscaped areas and 60,000 metres square for pedestrian use.

With regard to the work in progress, Solidere is currently working on the development of Marina facilities and Corniche car park along with land treatment, reclamation and landscaping at Hadiqat As-Samah and hotel district. Furthermore, Solidere also launched residential clusters in Saifi and Wadi Abou Jamil, currently constructing a number of residential and hotel towers facing Beirut Marina and the waterside park, and incepting other landmarks.

Solidere's future plans will also focus on the development of the Martyr's square axis and the New Waterfront District, marking the internationalization of the project and the re-launching of Beirut as a world city of the region.

Other real estate projects will finalize the redevelopment of the traditional city centre and establish prime development areas in the Serail corridor and the hotel district. High density zones will also be developed comprising the Beirut Trade Centre, the gateway towers on either side of Gibran Khalil Gibran garden, the Landmark development near UN House, and the northeast gateway towers marking the point where the coastal highway terminates in the city centre.

"This will intensify the thrust towards making Beirut City Centre a favored location for international businesses, financial and other specialized services and institutions, as well as a tourism destination and a prime residential area." concluded Douaidy