The facade lighting reveals the layered depth of the southern elevation.
Partly landscaped and partly architectural, the thickened edge blurs the boundary between indoor and outdoor spaces.
A living threshold — transforming with the seasons, light, and use.
#PAD10 #Architecture #FacadeDesign #LightingDesign #SeasonalArchitecture #BiophilicDesign #KuwaitArchitecture
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A modern city home made for connection and privacy. Built for parents and two siblings, this vertical retreat blends shared living with personal space, centered around a peaceful courtyard. A thickened south facade with woven pattern, nestled with a vertical garden, softens the otherwise harsh light and introduces outdoor alternating nooks all along #UrbanLiving #ModernHome ...
Our design employs an environmentally conscious approach, where shaded arcades and intermediary spaces moderate the harsh exterior climate, creating pleasant, naturally cooled areas without fully enclosed structures. Cooling systems embedded within the interconnected arcades add another layer of climate-responsive design, reinforcing the architectural commitment to sustainable comfort. This balance of shaded, open areas fosters a sense of openness and connection to the landscape, supporting a vibrant yet responsible lifestyle destination. ...
At Manarat Al Khafji, rising from the promenade, a performance venue is subtly nestled beneath the swell of the corniche, providing an intimate setting for live music, art, and theatrical displays. ...
Manarat Al Khafji extends the corniche into a vibrant, multifaceted landmark, integrating commerce, culture, and community along Saudi Arabia’s eastern coastline. Inspired by traditional Khaleeji souks, a gently undulating 7m wide avenue winds its way across a quarter-kilometer span, shaded by crisscrossed arcades reminiscent of heritage arcades. This modernized corniche celebrates local heritage and the natural landscape, evolving vertically into a dynamic space for cultural exchange. ...
Manarat Al Khafji creates an “authentic and memorable” destination by capturing Al Khafji’s unique character and legacy while fostering a lively, welcoming community. By weaving architectural innovation with a human-centered, immersive atmosphere, our design celebrates the vibrancy of Khaleeji identity. More than just a landmark, it becomes a gathering place for residents and travelers alike, offering new moments of discovery, connection, and celebration with each visit, and serving as a vital part of Al Khafji’s evolving master plan. This design aims to create a world-class destination that preserves the essence of Al Khafji’s cultural roots, while embodying a forward-looking spirit aligned with the ambitions of Vision 2030.
@publicinvestmentfund
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At the edge of Khafji, where the land meets the endless blue, this new landmark acts as a conduit of cultural expression, bridging land, sea, and sky.
Extending from the corniche, its undulating roof captures the rhythm of the Arabian Gulf, a rippling form that mirrors the waves it overlooks. Crowned by a lighthouse reaching toward the horizon, it stands as both beacon and landmark, anchoring Khafji to the vast expanse beyond.
@publicinvestmentfund
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At the edge of Khafji, where the land meets the endless blue, this new landmark acts as a conduit of cultural expression, bridging land, sea, and sky.
Extending from the corniche, its undulating roof captures the rhythm of the Arabian Gulf, a rippling form that mirrors the waves it overlooks. Crowned by a lighthouse reaching toward the horizon, it stands as both beacon and landmark, anchoring Khafji to the vast expanse beyond.
@publicinvestmentfund
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The Shear House indoor living areas are open to outdoor living on multiple levels; sunken courtyards, side & front gardens, and a roof garden all vertically connected with the sectional shear of terraces on multiple levels.
The ground and first floors are the parents’ quarters. The second floor is divided among the two kids, while shared services and amenities are in the basement and on the roof.
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Maximizing the built-up areas above freed much of the ground floor garden. This pushed to cantilever the upper volume, serving as a shading canopy for the front garden underneath. The corner plot of The Shear House with the centrally carved volume, maximizes light penetration to the interior spaces. ...
A multi-family Shear House Residence designed on a corner plot.
Two independent entrances organize the program: one leading to the parents’ quarters, the other to the children’s apartments above.
A shared corner stair anchors the project, connecting to the common diwaniya that opens onto a sunken outdoor garden — a space for gathering, light, and continuity between generations
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This headquarters balances efficiency and elegance: a playful ceiling contrasts with a dense plan, while varied ceiling heights and semi-transparent walls let natural light filter through—maintaining openness without losing privacy.
Photo credit: @mashkanani
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A primary corridor, organized around the building core, anchors circulation and connects the various departments. This main spine links with a secondary double-loaded corridor, mediating between perimeter offices with panoramic views and the inward-facing support spaces. Along the way, pockets open to the city skyline—moments of light and relief designed both as present-day gathering zones and as adaptable voids that anticipate future extensions.
Photo credit: @mashkanani
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The offices of a leading real estate company efficiently occupy the 1,350 sqm surface area without compromising quality; a datum line separates between the playful ceiling and the dense plan.
Photo credit: @mashkanani
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In plan, the different elements and geometries on the site are influenced by Khaleejia tower’s structural grid, which partly supports the tensile shading. Sectionally, the trees and tensile shading posts gradually cascade down from the building all the way to the pedestrian sidewalk, resonating with the office tower and its commercial plinth. Along the outer edge, bounded by vehicular traffic, a water cascade’s white noise mitigates further this setting by visually separating the users from the passing-by cars. ...
Behind the scene ...
Khaleejia Square, an alternative beginning of the green belt to the hermetic Shaheed Park, buffers Kuwait skyline from the residential suburbs. A landscape, criss-crossed by multiple paths, connects the site with its city. Inscribed by concrete pathways, hexagonal pods of cobble stones and lawn intertwine to serve multiple users. ...
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲.
To communicate the design of the Kuwait Blind Association Sports Complex, we adapted cliché printing technology into braille-friendly drawing plates. With minimal guidance, board members could run their fingers across plans and sections, complementing our words and experiencing the project directly through touch — making the process as inclusive as the architecture itself.
Yet in reality, while we augmented vision and perception throughout the design process, the execution team proved the blindest of all — building with complete disregard for vision, standards, and the very values it was meant to embody.
#Architecture #InclusiveDesign #Braille #PAD10 #DesignBeyondVision
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𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻...
𝗔 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱.
At the Kuwait Blind Association Sports Complex, space itself becomes tactile. The sectional model reveals layered ramps, courts, and volumes where circulation flows like rhythm — a choreography designed to be felt as much as seen.
𝗔 𝗳𝗮𝗰̧𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.
In the exploded axonometric, the envelope unfolds as a spectrum of color and light, guiding orientation where sight cannot. Each layer — from ground to garden to canopy — speaks in different senses, whispering direction through color, sound, and scent.
𝗔 𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁.
𝗔 𝗿𝗵𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿.
The Sports Complex redefines sport by designing for every sense beyond vision — proving that architecture can listen, smell, and feel.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲: two distinct ramp systems ensured accessibility and dignity, while also addressing local realities. Where men today shake their keys to avoid bumping into others, the design offered an architectural solution — parallel ramp flows that separated users without isolating them. Tragically, in execution, these ramps were disregarded, erasing both inclusivity and cultural sensitivity from the final building.
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𝗠𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻; 𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀.
At the Kuwait Blind Association Sports Complex, every space was conceived for touch, sound, and scent — from the rhythmic bounce of a goalball to the fragrances of the healing garden. Architecture was meant to be an ally, translating the invisible into experience.
We carried out the design pro bono to safeguard the Association’s land ownership. Yet the way it was eventually realized makes one wonder — was it truly a victory, if what stands today disregards standards, ignores concepts, and fails the very uses it was meant to serve?
#Architecture #CriticalPractice #PAD10 #DesignMatters #Kuwait
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