Inspiration:

The original concept came out while thinking about imagined height implanted into a single story residence. In this manner a single story bungalow acted as a stepping off point for the idea to become two stories flanked by usable greenspace and intentional exaggerations of height.

 

Unique Properties / Product Description:

The house commingles modern sensibility architecture through the individually shaped columns while retaining a central courtyard. This design feature evokes the traditional Kuwait practice in the building of houses, whereby courtyards were included to help with temperature control within the residence. Here GMI Studio team allowed to acknowledge both past and present, without clashing. The water feature at the steps of the main door sweeps outwards from a half foot lip as it is met walking up the offset steps, which require a taking in of the surroundings before each step is taken. The floor to ceiling glass helps keep the spaces more open, connecting them with sliding doors as into the courtyard-facing examples. The inner courtyard connects the residents and acts as a common space where moving between the structure is simplified. It also reduces temperatures as air flow is increased throughout the day into it. The residence itself is U-shaped, and the courtyard makes it easier to move between areas while encouraging the use of this shortcut. Green spaces along the ridges of the concrete columns cut through the clean white paint and exposed concrete to further add interest through the liberal use of asymmetry. The residence in Qortoba Kuwait is framed by complimentary concrete columns that connect to the main outer walls, providing privacy while further enhancing the asymmetrical nature that acts as the primary draw in the design. A strip of lighting runs from the bottom to the top of the right column wall, which serves to further exaggerate the residence’s verticality. From the interior, the experience is open, with all sides visible from nearly any angle without much effort.