Work by Azrieli student shortlisted for Architecture Drawing Prize
December 1, 2021
A drawing by Anthony Youssef, a Master of Architecture thesis student, has been shortlisted for the Architecture Drawing Prize.
The drawing, Holiday Inn Beirut, was shortlisted in the Digital (Students) category of the international competition. The Architecture Drawing Prize was organized by World Architecture Festival, the Sir John Soane’s Museum, and Make Architects.
Winning and shortlisted drawings will be on display at Sir John Soane’s Museum in London, England, as part of the World Architecture Festival 2021. The full shortlist and finalists can be viewed here.
Youssef crafted the drawing during the Architectural Authorship Studio (Winter 2021) led by Azrieli Visiting Critic Neil Spiller at the Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism.
Members of the judging panel included Louise Stewart (curator, Soane Museum), Narinder Sagoo (Senior Partner, Foster & Partners), and Paul Finch (Program Director, World Architecture Festival), among others.
Among the relics of the Lebanese Civil War is the Holiday Inn Beirut. During the Lebanese Civil War, the Holiday Inn was militarized, its towering body offering fighters from both leftists and rightist militias a perfect stronghold from which to launch their munitions. Still standing today, it has been referred to as an unintentional monument.
Here, the Holiday Inn Beirut becomes an urban observatory, allowing visitors to witness the city’s past, present, and future. Various independent layers are superimposed upon one another to embody the complexities and contradictions inherent in the capital city of Beirut.