Project story · Saudi Arabia
A house that turns inward to the courtyard
In Saudi Arabia, Private Villa gathers sandstone blocks, bronze roofs and timber screens around a shaded courtyard pool.
By byJOOM · Private Villa · Residential
Solid to the street, open to the court
The villa turns inward for privacy. Layered blocks of warm stone, bronze-toned roofs and timber screens make a house that is solid to the street and open to the courtyard. The street face is a composition of stone planes and screens; the courtyard face is glass and shade.
A stepped entrance behind a screened wall
Arrival is deliberate. A stepped entrance sits behind a screened wall, and a double-height hall receives the visitor. The sequence from street to hall is a series of thresholds: screen, steps, shade, height. Each one asks the visitor to slow down a little.
A shaded courtyard and pool
The living rooms open to a shaded courtyard and pool. In the pictures the courtyard is a quiet room with water at its centre and the roof edge pulled over the terrace to shade it. Courtyards are an old idea that still works: light, air, shade and a place to meet.
Layered stone and bronze roofs
The stone is layered, in blocks of warm tones that step as they rise. Bronze-toned roofs cap them, and timber screens soften the openings. In the evening view the whole house glows amber with the lit courtyard at its centre.
Local-feeling stone, deep shade and a planting scheme that needs little water.
Planting for the desert
Olive trees, agave and rock planting tie the house to the desert landscape. They are chosen for a simple reason: a planting scheme that needs little water belongs here and will survive here. The garden is as much a part of the climate response as the roofs.
Local-feeling stone, deep shade
Local-feeling stone, deep shade and low-water planting give the design its staying power. The villa does not look like a guest in the landscape, and it is not likely to look dated.
This article describes design intention. The images are design visualisations, not photographs of a finished building. See the Disclaimers.