This 1,700 m2 single-family home nestles discreetly into a community of private villas, each surrounded by 3-meter high boundary walls. The simplicity of its serene stone-clad exterior is expressed as flush, planar, and protective. At the same time, areas of perforated openings punctuate the surfaces, hinting at the interior and glowing lantern-like in the evening. The solid exterior appearance is contrasted by a simple curved interior edge that defines the hidden courtyard and recalls the edges of the wind-swept dunes of the nearby desert. One moves through a concentricity of protective ‘shell’ walls from exterior to interior, revealing an interior garden oasis.

The building is oriented using its taller mass to passively protect the inner courtyard from the dominant direction of wind and sandstorms while also maximizing valuable shading throughout the day. Other portions of the building volume are arranged to visually screen the neighboring structures and reinforce a framed view toward the sky. The view over a dark bottomed swimming pool adds visual depth to the courtyard experience as water spills over an infinity-edge towards the descending driveway buffering the outer wall.

The entry level supporting the most public spaces has an open feel. It accentuates cross-sectional views across the entire site allowing the garden courtyard to feel like an extension of the interior experience. The upper level distributes the more private spaces around the curved perimeter of the volume, reinforcing the upwardly viewed aperture.