AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT | Studio Leader : Carla Aramouny, Nicolas Fayad, Rana Samara, Christos Marcopoulos The work of the students is divided under two main thematics that were undertaken in the Vertical studio and represent two main scales of design interventions. The first [Ecologies of Leisure] deals with large landscape and infrastructural interventions on the coast of Zouk Mosbeh in Keserwan, integrating programs of leisure and ecology. The second [Invisible Plots] focuses on small-scale interventions in residual ‘unbuildable’ plots in Beirut, proposing new modes of housing and dwelling in the city. The two scales, from macro leisure and ecology to micro dwellings form the basis of this student exhibition presented across scales and urban contexts. The work in the first section explores various sub-themes from beach architecture, coastal edge conditions, natural marine and landscape ecology, water infrastructure and new forms of leisure. The students propose accordingly large-scale hybrid projects that attempt to speculate on a new future reality for the coastal region. In the second section, the students critique through design the building code’s restriction on small plots, which are deemed as ‘invisible’ and unbuildable parts of the city. Accordingly, they propose experimental housing typologies adapted to these problematic sites, which can house alternative and inclusive habitats in Beirut.