The coast of Ras Beirut, a neighbourhood at the southern tip of Beirut, has been marred by a huge number of luxury developments over the last decade. Architect Karim Najjar of Beirut's [Najjar &
Najjar](http://www.najjar-najjar.com/) Architects wanted to reclaim the space for the working-class communities of the city by redesigning the coast -- and powering the city. His solution: a series of five-metre tall observation decks for locals to enjoy, which have been placed on the rocks separating Ras Beirut and the Mediterranean.
The three-legged rhomboid, known as Iris, is more than a passive outlook -- it also "blinks", folding open and closed according to the motion of the waves, generating energy via an offshore buoy with an electric generator attached to an antenna. "When the forces of nature become part of the construction of a structure, then you're in tune with them. Instead of fortifying against nature, it harnesses it," says Najjar, 49.<span class="s2">
So far, a single Iris prototype has been constructed out of galvanised steel, wood and aluminium, but Najjar's firm is courting city commissioners to install them all along the coast. And although Iris can reportedly generate about 800W -- enough to power a single household -- mechanical engineers at the American University of Beirut have teamed with Najjar to increase its energy-generating capacity. But Najjar is not stopping at the coast -- his firm is also testing designs for energy-generating structures that are completely detached from land. Just like Iris, these aim to bring residents of Beirut closer to the sea, while powering their homes.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
