Swiss-funded school restoration in Beirut marks first concrete recovery signs

Ten schools in Beirut are being restored eight months after the devastating port explosion, thanks to a project financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and coordinated by Lebanese architect Karim Nader with colleague Ivana Nestorovic. The first phase of emergency repairs, including structural consolidation and energy efficiency improvements like aluminum frames and thicker glass, was completed in three months. A second phase adds greenhouses for urban social agriculture, participatory art walls, and asbestos removal. The entire project is scheduled for completion within six months. Nader notes that while external charity helps, Lebanon lacks adequate governance and its education system is obsolete. He calls for a deeper change toward creativity and freedom in education. The country faces unresolved tensions exacerbated by a wave of Syrian refugees, as Lebanon has not signed the Geneva Convention. Nader's firm previously renovated Naqoura public school in southern Lebanon in 2015 for NGO Bahr Loubnan. His book 'For a Novel Architecture' reflects on 20 years of practice, advocating for architecture that enhances human and poetic living.