Hasta La Ideas

Spain and Kuwait-based AGi Architects have designed three seafront houses in Kuwait for three siblings and their families (photos by Nelson Garrido).

The S Cube Chalet comprises three small houses connected by walkways and a central staircase, each with private terraces overlooking the sea.

Two of the houses are mirror images of each other and are separated by the staircase, which leads up to the third house on the upper level.

The buildings have been situated to limit their exposure to the sun on the south facade and increase shaded space on the north side which looks out to sea.

The floors, stairs and a dividing wall between two of the houses are clad with Indian sandstone.

Photographs are by Nelson Garrido.

Here’s some more information from the architects:

S Cube family chalet is made up of three intertwined beach houses. The owners – two brothers and their sister each with their own families – want to continue enjoying the same exceptional environment in which they grew up, but with complete independency and privacy from each other.

For these reasons, the design of these three small houses calls for a duplicated programme that maintains privacy while benefiting from outdoor areas and sea views by the use of several terraces.

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Architectural solutions proposed by AGi
In order to create private and independent houses for each family – comprising three young couples with two small children each – AGi architects have divided the plot into two units composed of two houses that are mirror images of each other, named S2 and S3. These units are separated by a staircase leading towards the third house, located at the higher level. The third house is positioned on top and across from the two residences, enjoying a large roof terrace with direct views towards the sea. Each of the three houses enjoys an individual outdoor area that is open to the sky, privacy from its neighbor, and extended sea views.

The highly dense programme in the intertwined houses is manipulated to create outdoor spaces which harvest the prevailing winds and enhance their circulation within the courtyards, allowing people to comfortably reside in them. The building is carefully situated to protect its exposure to the sun on the southern façade, whilst increasing shaded space on the northern side to frame views out to the sea as well as create a pleasant outdoor environment.

The outdoor spaces on the ground floor and the roof terrace of the third house on the upper level are the main distinguishing elements and spaces of this project; from which the three houses are organized around them. They are beach houses designed to optimize and enhance the outdoor experience.

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Programme
S Cube chalet is developed into three levels:
S2 and S3 houses comprise mirrored programmes, occupying two levels:
Ground floor: Main bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room and a large courtyard open to the sea.
First floor: Two bedrooms, bathroom and a terrace with side views to the sea, designed as a playing area for children.
The terraces of both houses are visually separated by a grid.
S1 house is developed in two separate levels:
First floor: Main bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, and a terrace connected to the S3 terrace.
Second floor: Two bedrooms, bathroom and a large terrace facing the sea.

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Materials
The flooring, stairs and dividing wall between S1 and S2 are all are clad using Indian sandstone. Interior walls and ceilings are finished using plaster and paint, while handrails are cladded with wood.
The interiors have been designed by AGi architects. All materials used in the S Cube project are locally manufactured. The loose furniture produced by Spanish brands, supplied by Gunni & Trentino.

Design Team: Joaquin Pérez-Goicoechea, Nasser B. Abulhasan, Salvador Cejudo
Architectural team: Robert A. Varghese, Abdul Hafiz, Mohammed Mónica Marqués, José Á ngel del Campo

Project Name: S Cube Chalet
Type: Residential 750 m2
Location: Kuwait
Date: 2007-2011

The post S Cube Chalet
by AGi Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Charred timber lines this Thai bistro in Kuwait City by architect Rashed Alfoudari.

Pendant lamps with copper insides hang from the ceiling of the Ubon restaurant above rows of black and white furniture.

A kitchen at the rear of the restaurant is concealed behind a mirrored wall.

We’ve only published a handful of stories from Kuwait on Dezeen, but you can see them all here, including a house that emits mist and a jewellery shop.

Photography is by AOK.

Here’s some additional text from Alfoudari:

Ubon

Ubon is a Thai bistro located in the core of kuwait city.

It overlooks Fahad Al salim street, a street well respected for it’s commerce back in the days.

The space program of this bistro requires an efficient design for all of the kitchen, storage, and toilet areas; allowing for a spacious dining area.

For this to be executed, the interior works where to be integrated with the existing structural elements in a harmonious manner.

The Burnt wood panels, infused with the golden copper elements surround the dining area portraying the asian influence of this bistro.

Pendant lights were added to soothe the dining area with their organic shape.

Adding to their relevance is the inner golden color they diffuse, a color that had great impact on thai cultural ornamentation.

Giving a visual continuity to the dining area where the wooden grains imprinted on the restroom’s concrete walls.

The contrast in color and material here is then unified by texture.

To continue the vertical pattern, the restroom was fitted with a suspended ceiling faucet along with an off-white standalone basin.

Architect: Rashed Alfoudari
Location: Salhiya, Kuwait City
Project Area: 60 sqm
Project Year: 2011

Photographer Nelson Garrido has sent us his photographs of this building by AGi architects of Spain and Kuwait, comprising three homes clad in white stucco and three homes in black stone. 

Called Black & White House, the project in Kuwait uses the two tones to differentiate between the six properties on three plots.

Residences are separated by terraces in between and pools on the ground floor.

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The information that follows is from the architects:

These six houses on three adjacent plots should be noticed for their bold black and white facade with far from being a decorative element reveals the very nature of this project.

Not a solid block but a labyrinth of outer spaces communicated with the dark stone cladding ribbon flowing from one to the other in 3 directions and provide natural light and cross ventilation in the houses at different levels.

Located on a main highway in Kuwait, the houses differentiate themselves from their surroundings by their stark façade design.

With two contrasting colours, the façade is designed to define the individual houses, while achieving unity amongst all six.

White stucco material is used as the base for all the houses, while dark grey bands of stone turn corners, go indoors, and climb up and down, creating flow and continuity throughout the project.

Each of the three adjacent plots divides to accommodate two houses: the front, facing the inner neighbourhood street and the back, facing the 5th Ring Road highway. Services shafts and exterior light wells separate the 2 houses on each plot.

The front villas are introverted courtyard houses. Large windows of the main spaces overlook this courtyard that create dramatic light and shadow contrasts, while smaller strip windows face the street. Various outdoor spaces are located at different levels to provide ample light into the adjacent spaces, in addition to creating outdoor terraces and a pool area on the first floor.

The back villas overlook a garden facing the highway. Volumetric spaces and dramatic light wells drive the visitors into the main entrance of the house, and lead them onto the garden, which not only extends the space to the landscape through large windows, but also acts as a buffer between the houses and the busy road.

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The landscape separates the houses from each other through different levels that ultimately create privacy and independence from each other.

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Natural light and ventilation are an important aspect of the design. Each house has a certain level of complexity in terms of spatial organization and relationship between indoor and outdoor. With every visit to the houses, one discovers new spatial and visual experiences.

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Different levels and careful program layout were studied to achieve maximum privacy from each other.

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Project Name: Black & White House
Type: Residential / 3,415 sqm
Location: Yarmouk, Kuwait

Design Team: Dr. Nasser B. Abulhasan, Joaquin Perez-Goicochea, Georg Thesing, Sharifa Alshalfan, Robert A. Varghese, Naseeba Shaji, Germana De Donno Lucia, Sanchez Salmon

See also:

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