Project story · United Arab Emirates
Shade is the first material
In the heat of the UAE, No.27 Private Villa builds a house from limestone, a deep dark roof and the shade between them.
By byJOOM · No.27 Private Villa · Residential
A villa for hot weather
Every decision in this house begins with the climate. It is a family villa for hot weather, with a private street front, a gated drive, shaded terraces that open to a pool and lawn, and upper rooms with their own balconies. The question the design keeps asking is where the shade will be at the hottest hour.
Piers, plane and shade
Tall limestone piers and a deep, dark roof plane shade the glazing below. The roof is the largest gesture of the building, a dark horizontal plane that casts a long shadow and lets the glass behind it be generous without becoming a heat trap. The pale stone piers give the elevation its rhythm and its weight.
Privacy at the street
At the street, vertical screens give privacy. The house is composed for passers-by and for neighbours without turning into a blank wall. Olive trees and low planting soften the stone and make a green edge to the gated drive.
Terraces that open to a pool and lawn
Behind the street front the house opens. Shaded terraces run out to a pool and a lawn, and in the pictures the terrace is a deep room of its own, with seating under the roof plane and the water just beyond. Upper rooms have balconies, so that each family member has a piece of outdoor space with its own shade.
Pale natural stone, deep overhangs and planting that suits the climate.
Pale stone, deep overhangs, planting for the climate
Pale natural stone, deep overhangs and planting that suits the climate: the three materials of the design are really three ways of dealing with the sun. The stone reflects it, the overhangs refuse it and the planting cools what is left. The house is designed to be comfortable by arrangement rather than by effort.
A calm composition
The result is a villa of balanced masses and considered edges. Nothing in it relies on novelty. A house that deals honestly with its climate does not need to ask for attention.
This article describes design intention. The images are design visualisations, not photographs of a finished building. See the Disclaimers.