The dispute resurfaced regularly between real estate developers and heritage protection associations over the disappearance of old houses in Beirut and their replacement with high-rise buildings. This particular question triggered widespread criticism, but few solutions were proposed. Here is a key that could help advance the debate and, perhaps, solve the problem of preserving the heritage of Beirut’s streets now coveted by real estate developers.

Each time a traditional house is sold to a real estate developer, we should ask ourselves why. In fact, what could drive the owner of a building, which has sometimes a high architectural value, to be separated from his property?

There are several reasons. Among them, the fact that the owner can no longer collect his rent, or be separated from the tenant unless he sells his property. Another reason is that the owner can no longer afford to maintain his property because of old rents which often are too low. In all cases, the buyer who will offer him the best price is the developer.

Why plots of land, where these old houses are built, are so expensive and why do they attract developers that much? Because they have a high operating income (defined by law): on a given parcel, the construction’s surface exceeds by far the land area only, to the extent that we can build instead of a house of one or two levels, high-rise buildings. Then, the developer can sell each apartment of these big buildings and make a hefty profit thanks to the price per square meters prevailing in these streets. Owners of old houses should continue to benefit from the parcel of land on which their houses are built. They must continue to sell these square meters' surplus of buildable surfaces, without jeopardizing the architectural heritage of the area.

One solution would be to create in Beirut, upon the authorities' decision, an area with high exploitation rates, which could swing the exploitation rates of lands where old houses and buildings exist. Once these square meters' surplus of buildable surfaces are sold, they should be added to this exclusive area where big towers would be built. For the transaction to remain attractive to the developer, it is necessary that the price per square meter in this exclusive area is higher than the one in the area of origin. Thus, the developer resells at a price which is higher than the one he paid to buy. As for the seller, he will make profit by selling these coveted buildable square meters.

This requires a political will which would establish a law stipulating that the sale of buildable square meters can only happen if the destination is the exclusive area not neighborhoods with high architectural value.

Upon the selling of these square meters' surplus of buildable surfaces, the owner may decide to keep or sell his house, but the buyer can no longer benefit from the buildable square meters sold and transferred to exclusive area. If he destroys the house, he can only build a building of similar height and same surface.