We Design Beirut Edition Two: A Collective Revival

The creative heartbeat of Lebanon came alive once more as We Design Beirut opened its doors for Edition Two, uniting designers, architects, artisans, students, and cultural institutions in a five-day celebration of design, architecture, and craftsmanship. Running from October 22 to 26, 2025, the event transformed the city into a living canvas for creativity and collaboration, honoring Lebanon’s layered history while reimagining its cultural future.

Set across five of Beirut’s most iconic landmarks Abroyan Factory, Burj El Murr, Villa Audi, the Roman Baths, and Immeuble de l’Union the second edition delved into ideas of legacy, revival, and continuity. Fifty years after the beginning of Lebanon’s civil conflict, the festival served as a space for healing and restoration, reaffirming Beirut’s role as a resilient hub of design in the Middle East. Built on the pillars of empowerment, preservation, and sustainability, it fostered an atmosphere of exchange and renewal among generations of creatives.

Edition Two of We Design Beirut unfolded in vivid moments, captured in the images below:

Threads of Life

Métiers d’Art

The program unfolded through a series of exhibitions and showcases that wove tradition with innovation. At Abroyan Factory, Threads of Life and Métiers d’Art celebrated the art of textile and craft, while Skin of a City by Patrick Baz and Anthony Saroufim Les Indisciplines explored the human body as a vessel of liberation. At Burj El Murr, Design “In” Conflict, curated by Teymour Khoury and Yasmina Mahmoud, presented works by students from nine Lebanese universities, examining how conflict shapes architecture and identity. Villa Audi hosted Totems of the Present and the Absent, curated by Gregory Gatserelia as a tribute to SMO Gallery, while the Roman Baths came alive with Of Water and Stone, curated by Nour Osseiran, reinterpreting ancient rituals of cleansing and connection through marble. Immeuble de l’Union, restored by Karim Nader, became a beacon of continuity with his installation Union A Journey of Light and Rising with Purpose, a showcase celebrating designers under 30 shaping Lebanon’s creative future.

Burj El Murr

Roman baths

The Designer Showcases pushed the boundaries of material and making. The Lab by Naggiar transformed a functioning metal fabrication facility into a creative workshop where eleven artists and designers produced new works on-site. Fabrica Design Platform introduced clay unbound, a sensory exploration of ceramics as material and memory. Iwan Maktabi unveiled GROUNDWORKS featuring new collections by Shaha Raphael and David/Nicolas, while Nalbandian Carpets collaborated with Selim Mouzannar, Sandra Mansour, and others to reinterpret centuries-old weaving traditions through contemporary design.

Fabrica design

Iwan Maktabi

Nalbandian Carpets

Beyond exhibitions, We Design Beirut extended its mission through the Educational Hub launched with ALBA (Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts), bridging academia and industry under the theme “Lebanon’s Revival.” Curated excursions included a tour of 49 modern architectural landmarks led by Dr. Omar Harb, a visit to Oscar Niemeyer’s International Fair of Tripoli, and a journey to the Saloua Raouda Choucair Foundation in the Lebanese mountains, connecting design, architecture, and nature.

Through its multi-layered programming, the festival reaffirmed Beirut’s place at the heart of global design culture, where art, architecture, and community continue to shape a collective narrative of resilience, memory, and renewal.