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Status

Unbuilt

Date

2014

Location

Dahr El Souane, Lebanon

Team

Fouad Samara
Lara Alam
Rani Kamel

A car collector's home

The villa’s design derives itself from a direct response to the site conditions. The dramatic slope is embraced and highlighted further by creating a villa that suspends itself in the air between the trees, thus profiting from the steep nature of the site.

Cascading concrete shells

Four rough concrete shells shift and cantilever from the existing slope. A hierarchy is created in terms of their functional use and privacy: the first top volume is the most public, with the reception areas for guests and a roof terrace for events, the second is for private spaces and bedrooms, the third touches the ground and terminates with an infinity swimming pool, and the fourth is almost fully submerged into the terrain, housing the client’s private car collection. Upon entering the project from the street, one enters at the top level and is faced with a monotonous louvered façade of four concealed entrances: the main entrance into the reception area, a car lift entrance, an outdoor staircase leading to the roof terrace, and a service entrance.The pool and outdoor seating at the bottom of the slope can also be accessed externally via the outdoor steps that run along either side of the villa, which also connect to internal spaces at different levels.

A modern and naturally lit interior

With the use of both skylights and full frontal glazing, the internal spaces are naturally lit and offer an unobstructed view of the surrounding landscape. Privacy and solar shading is provided by an external skin of louvered wooden panels that slide onto the facade when needed.

The rough concrete shell is left as is on the interior, accompanied by travertine flooring and wood cladding, which conceals the services and internal circulation.