Cromwell Rd,
London SW7 2RL
https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/LARKRmmybq/the-lebanese-house-saving-a-home-saving-a-city
In the wake of the 2020 Beirut explosion, which killed 200 and left 300,000 homeless, buildings old and new across the city weathered immense damage. The French-Lebanese architect Annabel Karim Kassar, who founded the award-winning studio AKK, embarked on a personal crusade to restore one of the few remaining classic Ottoman-Venetian houses left in old Beirut. On view is a life-size reconstruction of the facade of Bayt K, a traditional Lebanese home in the historic quarter of Geemayzeh complete with a triple arcade, which Kassar hopes will spark conversations about how Beirut’s architectural past can inspire further restoration and rebuilding.
![](https://images.surfacemag.com/app/uploads/2022/06/23185115/lebanese-house-annabel-karim-kassar-victoria-albert-museum.jpg)