D House

The house requires a complex program, where privacy has to be layered in a 3 dimensional circulation paradigm. The first is a living space for an elderly couple, the second is a family gathering place, third is a formal reception space which is the most public of all spaces, and last is a detached apartment. Each must have a separate entrance.  Positioned on the corner of the lot, the space allows for such demands, where the corner was used for the main formal entrance. On one side of the house two related entrances service both the main living space and the basement. While on the other side, an entrance is layered into the façade to service the detached apartment. All can circulate within one structure simultaneously with a complete sense of privacy.  To honor the courtyard tradition of the Middle East, we worked within the small land to create two distinct courtyards, one with a cascading garden and the other with a water fountain.

Both the basement and ground floors are characterized by a row of openings that overlook the garden recalling the classical rhythm of middle-eastern portico, the ‘liwan’.  In addition, a small cantilever is introduced to give a sense of lightness to an otherwise heavy mass and it intertwines the liwan with a series of rochinas on the inside of the house, creating a rhythm of both liwan and rochina; two architectural characteristics from the traditional Kuwaiti architecture in one interpretation.