Project story · Alexandria, Egypt
Order among neighbours
In an Alexandria street of shops, buses and apartments, Kobri El-Gamaa Residences sets a simple dark frame, deep balconies and a lit glass base.
By byJOOM · Kobri El-Gamaa Residences · Residential
Close to everyday life
The block stands among shops, cafes, buses and neighbours on a busy road. That is not a problem the design tries to escape; it is the setting it is built for. The homes are close to everyday life, with a shaded entrance and balconies that look out at it.
A simple grid among varied neighbours
The surrounding blocks vary in height, colour and age. Against that variety, a simple grid frame brings order. The dark frame is clear, quiet and well proportioned, and it organises the facade in a way that makes each home a part of one calm composition.
Balconies as outdoor rooms
Deep balconies carry planting and give each home its own outdoor room. In the pictures, planting appears at every level and the balconies read as green shelves set into the dark grid. Each apartment gets planted outdoor space without giving up any of the order of the elevation.
A glazed base that keeps the street alive
At street level the building is glazed, so the ground floor stays active. People walking past see a lit, occupied floor rather than a blank base. On a busy road that matters more than anywhere: the street is the building's first room.
A quiet, well-proportioned frame that sits comfortably beside its neighbours and will keep doing so.
A quiet, well-proportioned frame
The frame is quiet. It does not compete with its neighbours and does not try to be a landmark. It is simply well proportioned, and the design bets that a calm, well-proportioned frame will sit comfortably beside its neighbours and will keep doing so.
Living with a busy road
The design does not ask the road to be different. It asks the building to be a good neighbour to it: a shaded entrance, planted balconies and a lit base that adds to the street's life.
This article describes design intention. The images are design visualisations, not photographs of a finished building. See the Disclaimers.