In Jeddah, the city where Arab, Ottoman, and Persian cultures all blend and form the architectural language of the city, we designed a family villa with a land area of 3210 m2. Our main goal of the design was to fulfill our client’s needs and wishes as she asked for a modern design with slight touches of traditional elements, specifically, the Mashrabiya. 

Unlike the traditional Saudi houses that apply male/female divisions, our client asked for a transparent design where most of the building’s facades are glass facing the exterior landscape. We added modern-designed Mashrabiyas to the elevation to provide a semi-transparent veil on the glass walls and windows, and thus, we maintain a pleasant amount of privacy.

The ground floor has pubic, semi-public, and private zones to serve the users. The focal point of the design is the semi-spiral stair that faces the main entrance and is surrounded by glass panels to give a sense of wideness. However, the spatial organization of this floor applies the male/ female separation as we have separate males’ MAJLES and females’ guest rooms. The bathrooms are separated based on gender as well, while the dining room is shared but with two opposite doors to serve each group differently and one more for services.

The first and second floors have private and semi-private zones and several rooms for different activities and uses, while the third floor has entertainment activities and a spacious terrace.

As for the landscape, the design provides two parking lots, an open one and a closed one. In addition to the greenery we arranged around the whole yard, we applied water bodies all over the space. The use of water corridors, fountains, and open pools gives the area a sense of luxury and elegance and cools the weather during the hot days. Another request from the client is to add a closed hall with an open fireplace to serve guests on cold nights.