Lifestyle: Taking shelter in the B018

B018 is the brainchild of Beruit born architect Bernard Khoury. Although he spent the majority of his life in the US, he was eventually drawn back to Lebanon after earning his final degree, a Masters in Architecture from Harvard University. He wanted a chance to head back to his original home, to be able to help re-create the damage that had been caused by prolonged periods of war. He was given a chance to work on B018 through his cousin who wanted to scout for land for that was cheap and predominately empty. These requirements drove him to look to the quarantine area where a former refugee camp once stood.The site location was regarded by many people as an unusual choice to place a club, as it was in a desolate area. However, behind this location was a devastating history, as the camps built there were attacked and razed down in 1976.
Building a nightclub on a place with such a traumatic past was considered highly off-putting for a lot of people, and drew a lot of criticism against Khoury’s ideas.

b 018 - Sodeco, Beirut