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Narratives of Syrian Modernism: Rediscovering the Center for Marine ResearchSave this picture!Center for Marine Research / Bourhan Tayara. Image AMASyria 2025. Photo by Ram AttafAs Syria is emerging from over a decade of conflict at the time of writing, it is an opportunity to rediscover its architectural gems. Just to the north of the country's principal port city of Latakia is a Modernist creation that is the Center for Marine Research. Its pyramidal structure is situated on a prominent headland surrounded by sea on three sides. To the east is a bay with hotels and beaches while to the north and west is the open Mediterranean Sea reaching Turkey and Cyprus beyond. Despite its importance both as a research institution and as a piece of architecture, it lies abandoned and isolated today.The Center for Marine Research, also known by other names including The Higher Institute of Marine Research, was established by Syrian legislation in 1971, and in 1987 it became part of Tishreen University. It was designed by Arab Engineers and Architects, a firm led by the architect and educator Bourhan Tayara. Tayara belongs to a generation of Syrian architects with a diverse approach to Modernism expressed in their projects in the mid-twentieth century, particularly the 1960s and 70s. After completing his studies at Ain Shams University, Egypt, he pursued postgraduate degrees in the United States before returning to Syria where he set up his firm in 1968 alongside teaching. His other notable completed buildings include the Fine Arts Society Condominium and the Faculty of Architecture, University of Damascus.Save this picture!The project started after a year-long survey of the Syrian coast in search of a suitable site. This location was chosen for its ideal conditions for scientific research, including long views in three of the four cardinal directions. The land was flat and rocky so a multi-story building was feasible close to the shoreline. The purpose was for a new marine research institute. The Mediterranean Science Commission, headquartered in Monaco, lists the activities undertaken by the institute as marine biology, physics, chemistry, and geology, with major projects in marine biodiversity and pollution monitoring. Related Article AD Classics: Interdesign Building / Khalil Khouri The commissioning of the Center for Marine Research aimed to design a cultural landmark that would relate to other scientific institutions across the Mediterranean. The resulting form was an attempt by the architect to develop a form of Modernism suitable for the country. Rising from the landscape, its symmetrical form can be viewed from a distance on all sides. Like a truncated pyramid, it consists of four pairs of parallel trapezoidal walls in beton brut form a cruciform in plan with an atrium in the center. This stable, bottom-heavy form gave the building structural strength in its exposed context, while the atrium was used as an organizational element.Save this picture!The building is of the sea - its trapezoidal walls were designed to resemble the rhythm of sails. Its internal organization suits the requirements of the brief, with the central atrium also providing natural ventilation and views between different floors. The building is entered through one of the wings forming the cruciform on the ground floor. Opposite the entrance, the eastern wing forms a gallery which extends seamlessly into the rocky shoreline. The northern and southern wings contain machinery, such as generators, for the building's activities. Thus, the ground floor is mostly open to the air, with most enclosed spaces kept on the upper levels, similar to Modernist buildings normally elevated on pilotis.Save this picture!Continuing up the building, the first floor houses a large lecture theatre above the entrance as well as workshops and laboratories in the other three wings. A mezzanine floor above the first floor has researcher offices lining the gallery around the atrium, with some cantilevering out externally at the perpendicular intersections of the trapezoidal walls. As the plan continues to taper upwards, the second floor houses the wet labs, a dining hall and kitchen, and a reading room. As can be seen in the section, this is a split-level floor making up the differences in levels between the areas above the mezzanine floor and those above the high-ceiling areas of the first floor.Save this picture!Save this picture!The third floor contains sleeping areas in the form of men's and ladies' dormitories as well as individual researcher bedrooms. Like the offices two stories below, lounges cantilever out from the core at the four internal corners where the trapezoidal walls meet. Finally, on the top floor above the atrium, is the roof terrace which is partially covered with a canopy that completes the truncated pyramid form of the building. Connecting all these stories visually and functionally is the atrium, lined with access galleries and with a sculptural staircase in its heart. The second and third floors have balconies on the main wings offering views in the four cardinal directions.Save this picture!Most of the exterior of the Center for Marine Research was constructed in beton brut - concrete left exposed apart from a transparent protective coating. At some point in its life, the building was painted entirely in white, masking the honest materiality originally intended by the architect. At the time of writing, it lies isolated and in disrepair, exposed to marine wind storms.Save this picture!This feature is part of an ArchDaily series titled AD Narratives, where we share the story behind a selected project, diving into its particularities. Every month, we explore new constructions from around the world, highlighting their story and how they came to be. We also talk to the architects, builders, and community, seeking to underline their personal experiences. As always, at ArchDaily, we highly appreciate the input of our readers. If you think we should feature a certain project, please submit your suggestions.Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorCite: Mohieldin Gamal. "Narratives of Syrian Modernism: Rediscovering the Center for Marine Research" 04 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1027556/narratives-of-syrian-modernism-rediscovering-the-center-for-marine-research&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream
