Nova House is a unique villa that orients itself between two opposing landscapes through a markedly horizontal architecture. The design of Nova House embraces the strong personality of the plot. It is located on an elongated site in Kuwait, with one side facing the sea and the other side facing the desert. The design integrates the uniqueness of the landscape … [Read more...]
Living together. Strategies for collective housing
Collective housing represents architecture's commitment to the city. It adapts to the urban condition, and benefits from the opportunities that density provides. Living closer together means better access to leisure, culture and work in less time. In our projects, collective housing has the advantages of villas: spaciousness, views, privacy and exterior space. Collective … [Read more...]
The Multiplex Typology: Living in Kuwait’s Hybrid Houses
After the discovery of oil, the Kuwaiti state established a series of housing programs, the purpose of which was to redistribute wealth and improve living standards. The State allocated residential neighborhoods for Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis by introducing two main architectural typologies: the apartment and the villa. In parallel to this regulation, and in response to its … [Read more...]
Bausher Heights
Bausher Heights is a masterplan project in the metropolitan context of Greater Muscat. Our proposal weaves one of the gaps located in the surroundings of the capital with the existing urban developments. We propose an urbanism that includes the cultural values of Oman under a perspective of strong sustainability. We designed a development that combines luxury and tradition. … [Read more...]
The courtyard house, domestic paradise
Atlas of Architecture The courtyard house is a type of dwelling in which the rooms are organized around a central private courtyard. The courtyard is an architectural form with its own rules that has generated multiple variations over time. The 20th century, with its high buildings and urban expansion, has perhaps distanced us from this unique space. Despite this, … [Read more...]
Passivhaus standard in the Mediterranean climate
By Marta Lozano, architect at AGi architects, Polytechnic University of Madrid. Existing since Antiquity, passive architecture is that which adapts to the climatic conditions of its environment. Throughout the 20th century the focus placed on the energetic component in the architectural project was diluted due to the disassociation from local conditions proclaimed by the … [Read more...]
Thinking Scale I: from Aries to Virgo, a horoscope for M and L buildings
We bring back the relation between the Zodiac and architecture, which we already read a year and a half ago to a set of classic houses of architecture history. This time we will do the same with medium and large scale buildings. Maybe you believe that planets and their movements inspire our personalities and destinies, or maybe you don't. But in any case, this report will bring … [Read more...]
Wafra Living. Building completion revealed
Wafra Living's design proposes an innovative housing organization in Kuwait, where block housing with common spaces was rare until ten years ago. Pablo Lopez, architect at AGi architects, tells us about this large-scale residential complex recently completed in Kuwait. One of the objectives of the project was to integrate the level of privacy typical of Arab culture into the … [Read more...]
New Dune
New Dune is a project for a resort located around a wave pool on the Costa del Sol. Our approach focused on enhancing the whole surfing experience. We wanted to create a place that would evoke the same sensations as surfing in the ocean. The surfing experience begins long before the actual surfing. Arriving at the beach, preparing the equipment, waiting for the … [Read more...]
A summer house, as seen through the eyes of Modern Art
Architectural atlas What does the perfect summer house look like? How does Modern Art reflect architecture? Crossing these two questions, in this new article we write a little story about a vacation day reconstructed through the summer experiences of different artists of the twentieth century. In the US west coast, in California and near the Mediterranean, artists were … [Read more...]