Once, counting as an important banking hub and capital for fashion design within the Arabian countries, Beirut’s favourable economic positioning was weakened by social unrests, political standstill, and economic volatility. Beirut’s population has been facing severe socioeconomic challenges for the past decades, also reflected in the fashion industry. This thesis aims to analyse how workspaces can be reimagined and redesigned toward a future-proof fashion industry in Beirut. The destruction of infrastructure due to the Port Blast in 2020, and the last aspect of a triple crisis, forces local designers to adapt their hitherto habits and seek alternative economic opportunities in order to sustain the country’s fashion industry. As a result, ongoing changes have been observed in Beirut in the way businesses operate and how people perform their work: telecommuting and remote work became a daily routine leading to a need for a reimagination of workspaces. Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, these tendencies have been increasingly observed global-wide. The proposed building “Fashion Creation Office” will function as a centre for local fashion designers and entrepreneurs that seek to operate within the Lebanese economy while tackling social and environmental issues. Functioning as a spatial incubator, the building will become a place of exchange where talented people are given the opportunity to launch and realize innovations and business ideas that enhance the sustainable rebuilding of the Lebanese economy. Identifying the spatial needs of start-up entrepreneurs and designers, the building will incorporate the architectural answer of how the workspace will evaluate in the future with the fashion industry functioning as a case study.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Luxembourg underwent a major economic-political transformation that allowed the country to position itself as an internationally recognised financial hub and centre for European affairs. The degree of influence that this economic- political evolution of Luxembourg had on the architectural and urban development of Luxembourg City marks the focal point of this thesis. Two iconic projects realised during the 1960s serve as case studies: The Grande-Duchesse Charlotte Bridge that functioned as the cornerstone of the city's urban expansion, and the Alcide-de-Gasperi Tower, which represents Luxembourg's integration into European affairs. The architectural and urban transformation during the 60s in Luxembourg City, was mainly driven by the political integration into European affairs, aiming to fulfil the city’s role as European capital. Fuelled by the rivalry between the three European capitals Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg, architecture served as a political national branding tool, resulting in international recognition and economic growth. With its participation in the European Union, Luxembourg needed to create a strong image and international recognition, supported by its architectural infrastructure. Today, the European project is still incessantly growing, and Luxembourg as one of its capital cities is required to grow synchronously and adapt it’s image to contemporary ideologies. At the core of Luxembourgish politics remains the ambition to modernise the city's infrastructure in order to perpetuate its strong position within the European Union.