Dr. Jad Hammoud, Architect

Starting with the declaration of Tanzimat in 1839, the transformation of administration, law, taxation, property rights, education, urban planning and public works were initiated, which caused the regulation of urban and construction regulations as a tool for achieving a modern state. 1840, the date of the Health of Towns Report, marks a stage in the growing concern with health. The period between 1840-1940 is a recognizable date in history, with the outbreak of the Great War marking the end of an era. It also marks the date of a major enquiry into building laws and it also sees the virtual completion of the process of the incorporation of the health controls into the building regulations. In this date several regulations were enacted concerning the buildings and the streets and implemented in Beirut. The main goal of this article is to understand the impact of Building Codes on the construction of the late Ottoman Heritage and its architectural typology.