Housing project designed by Prof. Hashim Sarkis completed
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| (click on images to view full size) | ||||
Fishermen in south Lebanon receive new homes
by Mohammed Zaatari
Eighty-four fishermen and their families received new homes over the weekend at the opening of a new housing project near to the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, attended by local and international figures. The project is the result of a joint Spanish-Lebanese effort. Local and Spanish NGOs were among the contributors, such as Fundacion Promocion Social de la Cultura (FPSC) and Tyre's Greek Catholic Patriarchate, which provided the 9,000 square meter piece of land. The fishermen only had to contribute $3,000 to the project.
Harvard professor Hashim Sarkis, winner of four international architectural prizes, used a mixture of oriental and European styles in his design. The Spanish ambassador to Lebanon, Miguel Benzo Perea, said that the project was "the result of Spanish-Lebanese efforts to make fishermen's dreams for a better life come true."
Perea stressed his country's determination to continue supporting Lebanon and the Lebanese people through the Spanish contingent serving within the United Nation Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and different projects financed and planned by the Spanish government. FPSC president Lara Pilar called for more humanitarian projects like this one. Greek Catholic Patriarch Jean Haddad thanked those who contributed to the success of the project and expressed hope that the fishermen will be able to lead a fulfilling and stable life in their new homes.
The president of the Association for the Development of Rural Capacities, Youssef al-Khalil, said choosing to build homes for fishermen followed the realization that these people's rights were not being heard and that their living conditions were miserable. He added that this project aimed at developing the economy and social integration.
As for the fishermen, some of them described their new lives as a "rebirth" while others were simply relieved to have what they can call a home after years of renting apartments and moving from house to house. Â
[The Daily Star—Lebanon; June 16, 2008]
GSD profile for Hashim Sarkis >>
images:
1: End Volume
2: Bridge and Stair Detail
3: Interior Courtyard
4: Corner Passageway
5: Courtyard Passageway