Sitting atop a building armed with two antennae illuminating Beirut’s night sky, is the home of architect Bernard Khoury. A graduate of Harvard University, Khoury has won numerous awards for his work and passed on his architectural brilliance to students at universities across the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. No stranger to the Venice Biennale, Khoury is also the co-founder of the Arab Center for Architecture, a non-profit organization focusing on modern urban design, architecture, and planning throughout the Arab world. With these (and many more) credentials hanging from his belt, it should come as no surprise that when the talented architect turned his eye to his own home, he would create a wonder to behold.
Known as the N.B.K. Residence, Khoury’s home spans 4,000 square feet across three floors, and features five bedrooms and seven bathrooms. Beginning with the central area, the large open space spans 12 meters in width with 6-meter high walls. Misleadingly dubbed “the reception area,” it is a space that serves different purposes and functions, as it is populated with living room and dining room furniture. The wall of windows flood the area with natural light, illuminating our favorite aspect of the large room—the floor to ceiling bookshelves, which transform the whole central area into a live-in library, a dwelling to be desired by all men of culture.
Looking up from the main floor, the bridge and connecting balconies come into view, along with the large elliptical piece which houses the air conditioning. The modern coolness of the steel frame blends remarkably with the warmth of the wooden work of the walls and flooring.
Spiraling up the corkscrewed staircase reveals a terrace which immediately transports one to Lebanon’s Mediterranean Coast. Standing on the rooftop next to the pool, the terrace transforms into an oasis amidst an urban desert, high above the city, looking out over Beirut.
Khoury’s marvelous residence is a space any man would be fortunate to call home.