This development is one of the most prestigious condominium buildings in Beirut, designed by Herzog & De Meuron (Switzerland) and located in the most high-end part of town.
We were asked by Arabtec Construction at the tender stage to join their consortium as the supplier and subcontractor for the stone package. The designer had specified Bianco Carrara marble from Italy for all floors and balconies, predominantly in size 900x900mm.
Our first step was to visit the mock up site in Beirut to document the selection of Bianco Carrara that was approved by the client and the designer. This was followed by a trip to Italy to one of the biggest and most stable quarries of Bianco Carrara named: Campanili. At the quarry we explored the current production of blocks, their selection, potential challenges (i.e. cracks in the quarry – see photos).
The choice of Campanili was based on two facts: first, this quarry is known for its hard-physical composition compared to competing Bianco Carrara quarries, which practically means the stone will have a lighter background than others. Second, its large production capacity. Both these characteristics made it a solid option for this project, which demanded high quality selection and fast delivery.
Next, we purchased a group of blocks which represented the range of selections the quarry is producing at that point of time, which is the range we can commit to, taking into consideration the project requirements (i.e. quantity required, approved sizes and selection, delivery schedule).
We then prepared a mock-up of tiles that presented the control-range we can commit to and dispatched it via air freight to Lebanon, which was submitted as part of Arabtec’s bid.
Unfortunately Arabtec was not successful in their bid, and the journey ended there.
The highlight here is to demonstrate the systematic approach we follow, and the serious commitment of our team/company even at a bidding exercise.
