In progress
Status
Date
2022
Location
Mechmech, Lebanon
Team
Fouad Samara
Lara Alam
Maya Hobeika
Maryse Abi Nassif
Lara Alam
Maya Hobeika
Maryse Abi Nassif
A main house in addition to being a weekend and vacation retreat where family members could spend time together away from the city, Villa H capitalizes on its privileged location with unobstructed and beautiful views towards villages of the greater Jbeil district and distant views of the Mediterranean Sea beyond. Now neglected, the site was historically a cultivated land with hand built dry stone terraced walls to manage the slope.
Inspired by that, and aiming to maintain that legacy and celebrate that heritage, the house is built of, on, and within the stone walls themselves; a new layer placed atop the existing; enriching rather than erasing. This informs typology, volume, scale and materials.
Bedrooms and family room are nestled into the landscaped terraces below, while living spaces, open to dramatic views above, are built on the terraces that continue around, behind, and above.
Clearly visible from the surrounding hills, the roof is developed into an accessible green roof preserving the planted heritage of the site, and providing an additional outdoor entertainment area with unparalleled and unobstructed views.
The fair faced concrete structure is left exposed throughout, with deep columns on the main façade doubling as solar baffles as well.
This project is a precious connection for the owners with their family roots. The architecture aims to embody and celebrate that by registering the past as well as the future within the design.