https://www.architecturalrecord.com/rss/1507-light-cibles en-us As in any great film, Beirut’s illuminated downtown reveals no unintended harsh shadows, no light sources or fixtures. Its Ottoman-style and French-mandate buildings and their Arabesque, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco details subtly emerge with strokes and washes of what might be moonlight. It’s all an illusion, except the illusion hasn’t been created for the ephemeral moment of the shot. Lighting Beirut Architecture, an ambitious project designed by the French lighting-design firm Light Cibles, was a first step in an ongoing transformation of the city’s downtown nightscape. The initiative, directed by Solidère, the real-estate developer responsible for the Beirut Central lighting-beirut-architecture.asp Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/7675-lighting-beirut-architecture Grand illusion Light from rooftop-mounted projectors accents and aligns with the details of an early-20th-century facade along downtown Beirut’s Allenby Street, creating contrast and drama usual Lighting Beirut ArchitectureLight CiblesLebanonGrand illusion Light from rooftop-mounted projectors accents and aligns with the details of an early-20th-century facade along downtown Beirut’s Allenby Street, creating contrast and drama usually reserved for theater and film sets.Photo © Gérard Harlay Modern art The herringbone-patterned elevations of Rafael Moneo’s Beirut Souks provide a textured canvas for a contemporary color interpretation of the lighting adjacent to a garden. Lighting Beirut ArchitectureLight CiblesLebanonModern art The herringbone-patterned elevations of Rafael Moneo’s Beirut Souks provide a textured canvas for a contemporary color interpretation of the lighting adjacent to a garden.Photo © Gérard Harlay Beirut’s 1934 neo-Mamluk-style town hall was the longest facade to be illuminated. Eight projectors were needed, some mounted at a distance of between 75 and 110 yards. Lighting Beirut ArchitectureLight CiblesLebanonBeirut’s 1934 neo-Mamluk-style town hall was the longest facade to be illuminated. Eight projectors were needed, some mounted at a distance of between 75 and 110 yards.Photo © Gérard Harlay