Pied-à-terre by StudioBo Offers “Pure” Beirut Rooftop Retreat

Lebanon-based design office StudioBo has completed a six-by-six-metre rooftop mini home in Beirut, creating “a space to find peace” amidst urban chaos.

Designed in 2023, Pied-à-terre features a sloped sunbed room and a monolithic interior. Described as “a space to find silence”, the entirely off-grid home is powered by rooftop solar panels.

“In our busy world, filled with noise, distractions, and endless stimulation, there’s a constant need for quiet, for a place to find peace,” the studio said.

“Translating to ‘feet on the ground’, Pied-à-terre was built atop a building, providing the client with a space to relax. A space to find silence.”

With a name that literally means “foot-to-floor” in French, the structure is mounted directly on top of the building’s concrete roof.

According to StudioBo, its orientation and sloping roof are both laid out based on the path of the sun to maximise sunlight exposure on its solar panels.

“In programming the space, we mimicked the idea of silence versus clutter,” the studio said.

“On the inside, clear lines and surfaces were achieved by embedding major functions and applying a monochromatic texture.”

While the entrance is a hidden cabinetry facade, the home opens fully to the outside, through its full-length windows that run the width of the building.

Inside, a monolithic concrete dashboard serves as both the kitchen counter and an extended sunbed platform that continues through the entire space, with ridged plywood accents to denote the less functional area of the kitchen.

Materials range from smooth concrete shelving to terrazzo tabletops and walnut wood cabinetry, with pebble pink paint on the plywood bedframe and ridges.

The sloped sunbed follows the slanted ceiling, with enough space to sit directly on the bed to look out the window.

Integral shelving on the two shorter walls of the six-by-six-metre room, as well as a series of windows, allow for storage and maximise the amount of natural light to enter the space. The privacy windows can also be shrouded in curtains.

The kitchenette includes amenities such as a cooktop, sink, bin area, fridge, and a convenient slide-out cutting area.

Pied-à-Terre’s orientation and sloped ceiling allow for the most efficient use of solar panels and an individual water tank on its roof.