The Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said al Said, decided to gift Lebanon with a Centre for the Arts and Culture. The building plot was located in downtown Beirut – the area most targeted by wartime bombings.

We chose to distance ourselves from warfare imagery – exquisitely represented by local architects – and to embrace the opposite. We clung to the belief that if we design an ultra delicate piece, maybe the population will feel that the building is something to protect and therefore say: “Please, don’t bomb this.” And that this simple gesture might constitute a step towards peace.