Urban Garden Ogaguasu Oikohaguéra

Press Kit

Unique Properties

The site provided a unique challenge that directly influenced & inspired the design. The house sits on a narrow rectangular plot of 460m2 with a depth twice as long as its façade and is exposed to streets solely at its front and back. The villa was designed as an urban vertical volume that uses its façades as screens to create a sense of privacy within a dense neighbourhood. Embracing the site conditions, the section of the house was a main design tool with multiple punctures designed to let in light.

Dimensions & Packaging

Plot size 460 m2, built up area: 1420m2
location: Siddiq, Kuwait
phase: construction to start in October 2022

Tags

urban, garden, biophilia, biophilicdesign

Production Technology

The main materials used in the design are concrete that is clad in a grey stone for the main volume with a unique black marble that is used both in the front and back entrance both to highlight them and to give the house a sense of luxurious austerity.

Design Challenge

The challenges we faced were in particular to space layout design while respecting cultural nuances for residential requirements in Kuwait. Particularities such as multiple entrances, separate staff stairs for both male and female, a separate 'diwaniya' for men's' gatherings all had to be reconciled while creating an inviting spatial experience for the end users.

Research

The type of research we conducted was focused on biophilic design and how incorporating elements from biophilia can enhance a person’s well-being. Biophilic design maintains that human beings seek a connection with natural living things and thus incorporating nature, green walls, and providing abundant light conditions have been found to support better cognitive function, physical and psychological well-being.
Thus, we incorporated elements of biophilic design in the form of skylights, punctures, shallow water pools, a large green wall around a patio that can be viewed from all the floors and a mini garden in the basement that receives natural sunlight.

Inspiration

We were inspired by the client’s love for Japanese gardens and nature to create a house that is not only connected to nature but incorporates within elements from the natural environment.
Green, water, air and light; Within the realm of biophilic design we took inspiration from these four elements from which moments and spaces were conceived aiming to design a home that promotes well-being.
Intrigue and a sense of invitation (that is often denied) are dual concepts we also played with in the design of the volume in an aim to create privacy within while still engaging the viewer on the outside.

Project Duration

The project is located in Siddiq area, Kuwait.
Construction to begin October 2022

Operation Flow

The volume was designed as an urban vertical house that uses its façade as a screen to create privacy against an increasingly dense neighbourhood. Its jagged façade acts as an invitation for passers-by to look in while simultaneously denying the viewer the whole story. The back façade carries on in its austerity and mystique from the main front of the house; a tall black marble façade hides the back entrance door within it from viewers yet announces it simultaneously with dim lighting and a subtle protrusion. Upon entering, an alternate experience awaits, inviting users to discover the space in an open plan and multiple views toward the upper and lower floors.

Image Credits

Image #1: Renderer Tony Antoun, 2021
video credits: saccal design house
Music: Dreamin' by slow sense
Music: porcelain by Moby