The Serai of Baadarane, located in the heart of the Shouf region is an 18th century palace then-built by the regional governor Ali Joumblatt. The Ottoman-era palace is now abandoned, partially preserved and partially deteriorated. The project was elaborated over a year of architectural studies, to rehabilitate, restore, and reuse the structure in order to recreate an active and functional edifice that revitalizes the village. The Serai’s design study included the elaboration of a detailed restoration approach, walls and painting conservation proposals, as well as contemporary architectural additions to host the new functions. The adaptive reuse study channeled the design towards a Hotel and Leisure function, based on which the interior room’s design and the architectural additions were developed. One of the most remarkable architectural aspects added to the project is the hanging timber structure rooms, behind the interior courtyard of the Serai. The architectural concept was inspired by the ever-present and dominating nature that took root and thrived inside the Serai after its abandonment. The addition incorporates nature and belongs to it, changing and evolving through time, never being a fact or an imposed object, but a sense of space that changes with the seasons and vanishes behind the existing life.
