10 dwellings that dialogue with the scorching desert sun
16/06/2021.
[Desert dwellings]
metalocus, MARÍA FERNANDA MORA
metalocus, MARÍA FERNANDA MORA
The subject of housing has been dealt with extensively by many architects throughout history. When designing a house, many factors must be taken into account to guarantee the comfort of the people who will live in it.
Among the issues to be taken into account, it is essential to understand the context where the house will be located, and to take into account the climate of the place, so appropriate solutions can be generated for different latitudes and seasons of the year.
On this occasion we have taken an extreme climate, the desert, to illustrate different architectural solutions used to satisfy the needs of a dwelling, not only the spatial needs but especially the needs relating to temperature and thermal comfort in extreme temperatures.
Among the issues to be taken into account, it is essential to understand the context where the house will be located, and to take into account the climate of the place, so appropriate solutions can be generated for different latitudes and seasons of the year.
On this occasion we have taken an extreme climate, the desert, to illustrate different architectural solutions used to satisfy the needs of a dwelling, not only the spatial needs but especially the needs relating to temperature and thermal comfort in extreme temperatures.
Kaufmann Desert House by Richard Neutra. Photograph by Daniel Salomon, courtesy of Vista Sotheby's International Realty.
Kaufmann Desert House by Richard Neutra. Photograph by Daniel Salomon, courtesy of Vista Sotheby's International Realty.
Kaufmann Desert House by Richard Neutra. Photograph by Daniel Salomon, courtesy of Vista Sotheby's International Realty.
Areia by AAP. Photograph by João Morgado.
Areia by AAP. Photograph by João Morgado.
Areia by AAP. Photograph by João Morgado.
Element House by MOS architects. Photograph by © Florian Holzherr.
Element House by MOS architects. Photograph by © Florian Holzherr.
Muraba Residences by RCR Arquitectes. Photograph by © Airey Spaces.
Muraba Residences by RCR Arquitectes. Photograph by © Airey Spaces.
Muraba Residences by RCR Arquitectes. Photograph by © Airey Spaces.
Mishref House by Studio Toggle. Photograph by João Morgado.
Mishref House by Studio Toggle. Photograph by João Morgado.
Mishref House by Studio Toggle. Photograph by João Morgado.
Three Gardens House by AGi Architects. Photograph by © Fernando Guerra - FG+SG.
Three Gardens House by AGi Architects. Photograph by © Fernando Guerra - FG+SG.
Three Gardens House by AGi Architects. Photograph by © Fernando Guerra - FG+SG.
Rock House by AGi Architects. Photograph by Nelson Garrido.
Rock House by AGi Architects. Photograph by Nelson Garrido.
Rock House by AGi Architects. Photograph by Nelson Garrido.
Nirvana Home by AGi Architects. Photograph by © Fernando Guerra.
Nirvana Home by AGi Architects. Photograph by © Fernando Guerra.
Nirvana Home by AGi Architects. Photograph by © Fernando Guerra.
Nirvana Home by AGi Architects. Photograph by © Fernando Guerra.
Wind Tower by AGi Architects. Photograph by © AGi Architects.
Wind Tower by AGi Architects. Photograph by © AGi Architects.
Wind Tower by AGi Architects. Photograph by © AGi Architects.
Residential Nasima by Studio Madouh. Photograph by © Nelson Garrido.
Residential Nasima by Studio Madouh. Photograph by © Nelson Garrido.
Residential Nasima by Studio Madouh. Photograph by © Nelson Garrido.
The desert is an arid climate, where rainfall is scarce, where vegetation is not abundant, only that which is adapted to extreme conditions, such as xerophytic vegetation. Deserts occupy approximately one-fifth of the earth's surface and are found on all continents of the earth.
The establishment of social groups in the desert is complicated and requires important adaptations to survive under extreme conditions of drought, high solar incidence, and drastic temperature changes, very high during the day and low at night.
We present this selection of 10 dwellings that implement strategies to protect against the drastic desert climate. In this article, we will talk about the following architects, the famed Richard Neutra, the Associated Architects Partnership, the American studio Mos Architects, the Catalan studio RCR Arquitectes, Studio Toggle based in Kuwait and Portugal, the studio AGi Architects based in Kuwait and Madrid, and Studio Madouh based in Kuwait and New York.
1. A 20th century icon for sale. Kaufmann Desert House by Richard Neutra
The Kaufmann Hous in the Desert is a work by renowned architect Richard Neutra, located just outside Palm Springs, California, USA. The house was designed for Edgar J. Kaufmann in 1946, and is considered one of the most significant homes of the 20th century.
The design of the Kaufmann House highlights the connection with the surrounding desert landscape through spaces that emphasize the typical California concept of "indoors outdoors". In the main rooms, which face outdoors, Richard Neutra placed a series of movable vertical fins on the exterior, offering flexible protection from sandstorms and intense heat.
2. The sea into the desert. Areia, five houses with sense of identity by AAP
Areia is a five-dwelling residential complex in Sabah Alahmed Alsabah Maritime City in southern Kuwait, designed by AAP (Associated Architects Partnership). In Areia, AAP reinterprets the Kuwaiti lifestyle in a program that takes into account the project's proximity to the waterfront, blurring the boundaries between inside and outside.
In the proposal, AAP brings the sea to the desert, developing a sense of unity through a common architectural language throughout that ensures a sense of identity while, with slight variations, adding a layer of complexity and uniqueness to each dwelling.
3. Element House by Mos Architects
The Elements House, designed by MoS Architects, is located in Star Axis in the New Mexico desert. MoS Architects propose the use of sustainable technologies to increase the environmental performance of the Elements House.
The Elements House is just 140 m² in size. MoS Architects designed its form based on the Fibonacci sequence, thus achieving an economical form of spatial compartmentalization.
4. Housing in the desert of The Palm for relaxation and calm. Muraba Residences by RCR Arquitectes
Muraba Residences, a work by RCR Arquitectes, located on the exclusive Palm Jumeirah Island in Dubai. It is a luxury residential complex of 46 flats and 4 penthouses, with views of the iconic Dubai skyline.
The spaces designed by RCR Arquitectes convey serenity, make a smooth transition between indoors and outdoors, and bring nature into the building. A kind of minimalist sanctuary, achieved through a soft color palette, a futuristic and organic façade, which manages to create timeless spaces.
5. Architecture to protect of harsh desert sun. Mishref House by Studio Toggle
Mishref House, designed by Studio Toggle for two brothers and their families, is located in a residential area in western Kuwait. In this area, the strong desert sun, with an ambient temperature of up to 50°C in summer, and sandstorms are a regular phenomenon dictating planning and construction strategies in the area.
Studio Toggle organizes the house around an internal courtyard that runs through all the floors. The courtyard and void result in an internal typology that benefits from maximum diffused daylight without compromising privacy. The house opens to the interior with a private courtyard lined with citrus trees and a sculptural fountain, reminiscent of the gardens of the Moorish Alcazars.
6. Three Gardens House by AGI Architects
The House of Three Gardens, a single-family home designed by AGi Architects in Al Funaitees, Kuwait. The house, as its name suggests, is articulated around three gardens.
AGi Architects stratified the outdoor uses according to the time of year and the time of day, thus creating the three gardens. These are unified as a single outdoor space and are connected, visually and physically, through external stairs, and from the voids, the rest of the house was generated. The same perforated skin that serves as a filter on the roof is used to maintain the inhabitants' privacy and filter sunlight, providing shelter for the vegetation in the aggressive Kuwaiti climate.
7. A house vs Rock. Rock House by AGI Architects
The Roca House is a single-family home designed by AGi Architects, located in the south of Kuwait City, in the Abdulla Al-Salem district. AGi Architects had two requirements to meet, imposed by its clients, in the design of the house: to give complete privacy to its users and to become an iconic element in the neighborhood.
To achieve this, AGi Architects proposed a building as an origami-like folded reinforced concrete structure, which turns on itself continuously creating a central courtyard on which all the spaces of the house are reversed. There are few openings towards the street, always slanted, guaranteeing the privacy of the inhabitants and avoiding excessive sunlight in the rooms.
8. Nirvana Home by AGI Architects
In this home, located in Mesillah, Kuwait, AGi Architects redefines the concept of housing around the idea of Nirvana, based on mental and affective characteristics, Nirvana Home is born.
Nirvana Home is organized along a large diagonal, with different spaces facing each other, relating to each other through courtyards with gardens at different heights. In keeping with the traditional architecture of the place, the entrance and ground floor spaces are for the public and social program while the upper spaces are more private and enjoy privileged views of the surroundings.
9. Rethinking vertical housing, Wind Tower by AGI Architects
The Wind Tower, designed by AGi Architects, introduces a new concept of urban high-rise housing, adapting today's Kuwait to the lifestyle of the 21st century. In this residential tower, AGi Architects transforms the single-family dwelling type into a vertical one, understanding and reinterpreting the techniques of the local environment as the main design objective.
The Wind Tower is a novel and functional project, which seeks to optimize energy consumption by minimizing openings in areas with high thermal temperatures, favoring cross ventilation and natural light. The façade is made of granite stone, giving the tower the appearance of a monolithic sculpture sculpted by the wind.
10. White color and shaded spaces for Kuwait. Residential Nasima by Studio Madouh
Studio Madouh designed the Nasima residential complex, with a concept of modernity rooted in tradition.
The Nasima residential complex is located in Rawda, Kuwait, and blends into the fabric of the city. Studio Madouh draws inspiration for this project from the historic natural landscape and urban clusters, offering a contemporary design proposal with a traditional base.
The establishment of social groups in the desert is complicated and requires important adaptations to survive under extreme conditions of drought, high solar incidence, and drastic temperature changes, very high during the day and low at night.
We present this selection of 10 dwellings that implement strategies to protect against the drastic desert climate. In this article, we will talk about the following architects, the famed Richard Neutra, the Associated Architects Partnership, the American studio Mos Architects, the Catalan studio RCR Arquitectes, Studio Toggle based in Kuwait and Portugal, the studio AGi Architects based in Kuwait and Madrid, and Studio Madouh based in Kuwait and New York.
1. A 20th century icon for sale. Kaufmann Desert House by Richard Neutra
The Kaufmann Hous in the Desert is a work by renowned architect Richard Neutra, located just outside Palm Springs, California, USA. The house was designed for Edgar J. Kaufmann in 1946, and is considered one of the most significant homes of the 20th century.
The design of the Kaufmann House highlights the connection with the surrounding desert landscape through spaces that emphasize the typical California concept of "indoors outdoors". In the main rooms, which face outdoors, Richard Neutra placed a series of movable vertical fins on the exterior, offering flexible protection from sandstorms and intense heat.
2. The sea into the desert. Areia, five houses with sense of identity by AAP
Areia is a five-dwelling residential complex in Sabah Alahmed Alsabah Maritime City in southern Kuwait, designed by AAP (Associated Architects Partnership). In Areia, AAP reinterprets the Kuwaiti lifestyle in a program that takes into account the project's proximity to the waterfront, blurring the boundaries between inside and outside.
In the proposal, AAP brings the sea to the desert, developing a sense of unity through a common architectural language throughout that ensures a sense of identity while, with slight variations, adding a layer of complexity and uniqueness to each dwelling.
3. Element House by Mos Architects
The Elements House, designed by MoS Architects, is located in Star Axis in the New Mexico desert. MoS Architects propose the use of sustainable technologies to increase the environmental performance of the Elements House.
The Elements House is just 140 m² in size. MoS Architects designed its form based on the Fibonacci sequence, thus achieving an economical form of spatial compartmentalization.
4. Housing in the desert of The Palm for relaxation and calm. Muraba Residences by RCR Arquitectes
Muraba Residences, a work by RCR Arquitectes, located on the exclusive Palm Jumeirah Island in Dubai. It is a luxury residential complex of 46 flats and 4 penthouses, with views of the iconic Dubai skyline.
The spaces designed by RCR Arquitectes convey serenity, make a smooth transition between indoors and outdoors, and bring nature into the building. A kind of minimalist sanctuary, achieved through a soft color palette, a futuristic and organic façade, which manages to create timeless spaces.
5. Architecture to protect of harsh desert sun. Mishref House by Studio Toggle
Mishref House, designed by Studio Toggle for two brothers and their families, is located in a residential area in western Kuwait. In this area, the strong desert sun, with an ambient temperature of up to 50°C in summer, and sandstorms are a regular phenomenon dictating planning and construction strategies in the area.
Studio Toggle organizes the house around an internal courtyard that runs through all the floors. The courtyard and void result in an internal typology that benefits from maximum diffused daylight without compromising privacy. The house opens to the interior with a private courtyard lined with citrus trees and a sculptural fountain, reminiscent of the gardens of the Moorish Alcazars.
6. Three Gardens House by AGI Architects
The House of Three Gardens, a single-family home designed by AGi Architects in Al Funaitees, Kuwait. The house, as its name suggests, is articulated around three gardens.
AGi Architects stratified the outdoor uses according to the time of year and the time of day, thus creating the three gardens. These are unified as a single outdoor space and are connected, visually and physically, through external stairs, and from the voids, the rest of the house was generated. The same perforated skin that serves as a filter on the roof is used to maintain the inhabitants' privacy and filter sunlight, providing shelter for the vegetation in the aggressive Kuwaiti climate.
7. A house vs Rock. Rock House by AGI Architects
The Roca House is a single-family home designed by AGi Architects, located in the south of Kuwait City, in the Abdulla Al-Salem district. AGi Architects had two requirements to meet, imposed by its clients, in the design of the house: to give complete privacy to its users and to become an iconic element in the neighborhood.
To achieve this, AGi Architects proposed a building as an origami-like folded reinforced concrete structure, which turns on itself continuously creating a central courtyard on which all the spaces of the house are reversed. There are few openings towards the street, always slanted, guaranteeing the privacy of the inhabitants and avoiding excessive sunlight in the rooms.
8. Nirvana Home by AGI Architects
In this home, located in Mesillah, Kuwait, AGi Architects redefines the concept of housing around the idea of Nirvana, based on mental and affective characteristics, Nirvana Home is born.
Nirvana Home is organized along a large diagonal, with different spaces facing each other, relating to each other through courtyards with gardens at different heights. In keeping with the traditional architecture of the place, the entrance and ground floor spaces are for the public and social program while the upper spaces are more private and enjoy privileged views of the surroundings.
9. Rethinking vertical housing, Wind Tower by AGI Architects
The Wind Tower, designed by AGi Architects, introduces a new concept of urban high-rise housing, adapting today's Kuwait to the lifestyle of the 21st century. In this residential tower, AGi Architects transforms the single-family dwelling type into a vertical one, understanding and reinterpreting the techniques of the local environment as the main design objective.
The Wind Tower is a novel and functional project, which seeks to optimize energy consumption by minimizing openings in areas with high thermal temperatures, favoring cross ventilation and natural light. The façade is made of granite stone, giving the tower the appearance of a monolithic sculpture sculpted by the wind.
10. White color and shaded spaces for Kuwait. Residential Nasima by Studio Madouh
Studio Madouh designed the Nasima residential complex, with a concept of modernity rooted in tradition.
The Nasima residential complex is located in Rawda, Kuwait, and blends into the fabric of the city. Studio Madouh draws inspiration for this project from the historic natural landscape and urban clusters, offering a contemporary design proposal with a traditional base.
More information
Richard Joseph Neutra
Richard Joseph Neutra, (b. Vienna, Austria, April 8, 1892 - April 16, 1970, Wuppertal, Germany). Neutra was born in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Vienna, Austria Hungary, on April 8, 1892 into a wealthy Jewish family. His Jewish-Hungarian father Samuel Neutra (1844–1920) was a proprietor of a metal foundry, and his mother, Elizabeth "Betty" Glaser Neutra (1851–1905) was a member of the IKG Wien.
Richard had two brothers who also emigrated to the United States, and a sister who married in Vienna. Neutra attended the Sophiengymnasium in Vienna until 1910, and he studied under Adolf Loos at the Vienna University of Technology (1910–1918). He was a student of Max Fabiani and Karl Mayreder. In 1912 he undertook a study trip to Italy and Balkans with Ernst Ludwig Freud (son of Sigmund Freud). In the June of 1914, Neutra's studies were interrupted when he was ordered to Trebinje; he served as a lieutenant in the artillery in the balkans until the end of the war. He took a leave in 1917 to return to the Technische Hochschule to take his final examinations.
After World War I Neutra went to Switzerland where he worked with the landscape architect Gustav Ammann. In 1921 he served briefly as city architect in the German town of Luckenwalde, and later in the same year he joined the office of Erich Mendelsohn in Berlin. Neutra contributed to the firm’s competition entry for a new commercial centre for Haifa, Palestine (1922), and to the Zehlendorf housing project in Berlin (1923). He married Dione Niedermann, the daughter of an architect, in 1922. They had three sons, Frank L (1924-2008), Dion (1926-) an architect and his father's partner and Raymond Richard (1939-) a physician and environmental epidemiologist.
Neutra moved to the United States by 1923 and became a naturalized citizen in 1929. Neutra worked briefly for Frank Lloyd Wright before accepting an invitation from his close friend and university companion Rudolf Schindler to work and live communally in Schindler's Kings Road House in California. Neutra’s first work in Los Angeles was in landscape architecture, where he provided the design for the garden of Schindler’s beach house (1922–5), designed for Philip Lovell, Newport Beach, and for a pergola and wading pool for Wright and Schindler’s complex for Aline Barnsdall on Olive Hill (1925), Hollywood. Schindler and Neutra collaborated on an entry for the League of Nations Competition of 1926–7; in the same year they formed a firm with the planner Carol Aronovici (1881–1957) called the Architectural Group for Industry and Commerce (AGIC).
He subsequently developed his own practice and went on to design numerous buildings embodying the International Style, twelve of which are designated as Historic Cultural Monuments (HCM), including the Lovell Health House (HCM #123; 1929) and the Richard and Dion Neutra VDL Research House (HCM #640; 1966). In California, he became celebrated for rigorously geometric but airy structures that symbolized a West Coast variation on the mid-century modern residence. Clients included Edgar J. Kaufmann, Galka Scheyer, and Walter Conrad Arensberg. In the early 1930s, Neutra's Los Angeles practice trained several young architects who went on to independent success, including Gregory Ain, Harwell Hamilton Harris, and Raphael Soriano. In 1932, he tried to move to the Soviet Union, to help design workers' housing that could be easily constructed, as a means of helping with the housing shortage.
In 1932, Neutra was included in the seminal MoMA exhibition on modern architecture, curated by Philip Johnson and Henry-Russell Hitchcock. In 1949 Neutra formed a partnership with Robert E. Alexander that lasted until 1958, which finally gave him the opportunity to design larger commercial and institutional buildings. In 1955, the United States Department of State commissioned Neutra to design a new embassy in Karachi. Neutra's appointment was part of an ambitious program of architectural commissions to renowned architects, which included embassies by Walter Gropius in Athens, Edward Durrell Stone in New Delhi, Marcel Breuer in The Hague, Josep Lluis Sert in Baghdad, and Eero Saarinen in London. In 1965 Neutra formed a partnership with his son Dion Neutra.[5] Between 1960 and 1970, Neutra created eight villas in Europe, four in Switzerland, three in Germany, and one in France. Prominent clients in this period included Gerd Bucerius, publisher of Die Zeit, as well as figures from commerce and science.
Neutra died in Wuppertal, Germany, on April 16, 1970, at the age of 78.
Richard had two brothers who also emigrated to the United States, and a sister who married in Vienna. Neutra attended the Sophiengymnasium in Vienna until 1910, and he studied under Adolf Loos at the Vienna University of Technology (1910–1918). He was a student of Max Fabiani and Karl Mayreder. In 1912 he undertook a study trip to Italy and Balkans with Ernst Ludwig Freud (son of Sigmund Freud). In the June of 1914, Neutra's studies were interrupted when he was ordered to Trebinje; he served as a lieutenant in the artillery in the balkans until the end of the war. He took a leave in 1917 to return to the Technische Hochschule to take his final examinations.
After World War I Neutra went to Switzerland where he worked with the landscape architect Gustav Ammann. In 1921 he served briefly as city architect in the German town of Luckenwalde, and later in the same year he joined the office of Erich Mendelsohn in Berlin. Neutra contributed to the firm’s competition entry for a new commercial centre for Haifa, Palestine (1922), and to the Zehlendorf housing project in Berlin (1923). He married Dione Niedermann, the daughter of an architect, in 1922. They had three sons, Frank L (1924-2008), Dion (1926-) an architect and his father's partner and Raymond Richard (1939-) a physician and environmental epidemiologist.
Neutra moved to the United States by 1923 and became a naturalized citizen in 1929. Neutra worked briefly for Frank Lloyd Wright before accepting an invitation from his close friend and university companion Rudolf Schindler to work and live communally in Schindler's Kings Road House in California. Neutra’s first work in Los Angeles was in landscape architecture, where he provided the design for the garden of Schindler’s beach house (1922–5), designed for Philip Lovell, Newport Beach, and for a pergola and wading pool for Wright and Schindler’s complex for Aline Barnsdall on Olive Hill (1925), Hollywood. Schindler and Neutra collaborated on an entry for the League of Nations Competition of 1926–7; in the same year they formed a firm with the planner Carol Aronovici (1881–1957) called the Architectural Group for Industry and Commerce (AGIC).
He subsequently developed his own practice and went on to design numerous buildings embodying the International Style, twelve of which are designated as Historic Cultural Monuments (HCM), including the Lovell Health House (HCM #123; 1929) and the Richard and Dion Neutra VDL Research House (HCM #640; 1966). In California, he became celebrated for rigorously geometric but airy structures that symbolized a West Coast variation on the mid-century modern residence. Clients included Edgar J. Kaufmann, Galka Scheyer, and Walter Conrad Arensberg. In the early 1930s, Neutra's Los Angeles practice trained several young architects who went on to independent success, including Gregory Ain, Harwell Hamilton Harris, and Raphael Soriano. In 1932, he tried to move to the Soviet Union, to help design workers' housing that could be easily constructed, as a means of helping with the housing shortage.
In 1932, Neutra was included in the seminal MoMA exhibition on modern architecture, curated by Philip Johnson and Henry-Russell Hitchcock. In 1949 Neutra formed a partnership with Robert E. Alexander that lasted until 1958, which finally gave him the opportunity to design larger commercial and institutional buildings. In 1955, the United States Department of State commissioned Neutra to design a new embassy in Karachi. Neutra's appointment was part of an ambitious program of architectural commissions to renowned architects, which included embassies by Walter Gropius in Athens, Edward Durrell Stone in New Delhi, Marcel Breuer in The Hague, Josep Lluis Sert in Baghdad, and Eero Saarinen in London. In 1965 Neutra formed a partnership with his son Dion Neutra.[5] Between 1960 and 1970, Neutra created eight villas in Europe, four in Switzerland, three in Germany, and one in France. Prominent clients in this period included Gerd Bucerius, publisher of Die Zeit, as well as figures from commerce and science.
Neutra died in Wuppertal, Germany, on April 16, 1970, at the age of 78.
Michael Meredith + Hilary Sample. MOS architects
MOS architects is an internationally recognized architecture practice based in New York. MOS has been honored with numerous awards including: The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s National Design Award in Architecture in 2015, a 2014 Holcim Award, an Academy Award for Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Architectural League’s 2008 Emerging Voices Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grant and the P/A Award from Architect magazine.
Michael Meredith. Co-founder of MOS Architects in New York City. Meredith received a Master of Architecture with distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Design (2000) and a Bachelor in Architecture from Syracuse University (1994). With partner Hilary Sample, they founded MOS Architects in 2003. Meredith teaches at Princeton University , and their academic research occurs in parallel to his job as an architect.
Hilary Sample. Co-founder of MOS Architects in New York City. She received a B.Arch. from Syracuse University (1994) and an M.Arch. from Princeton University. She is currently an Associate Professor, at Yale University. Prior to joining Yale, Hilary Sample taught at SUNY Buffalo, where she was awarded the Reyner Banham Teaching Fellowship, and the University of Toronto. In 2010 Hilary Sample received the Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She was a visiting scholar at the CCA in Montreal. Her research focuses on the intersection of architecture, health, environments, technology, and design.
Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, Ramon Vilalta. RCR Arquitectes
Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta, work together since 1988 under the name RCR ARQUITECTES in Olot. They are Premio Nacional de Cultura en Arquitectura 2005 by Generalitat de Catalunya, Chevaliers de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by Republique Française in 2008, honorary members by the AIA American Institute of Architecture 2010 and International Award 2011 "Belgian Building Awards". Since 1989 are architects advisors at Parque Natural de la Zona Volcánica de la Garrotxa and have been teachers of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture and Project. They have won different international competitions (the latter, the Waalsekrook media library in Belgium, the Soulages museum in France, Hofheide's crematorium in Belgium and The Edge Bussiness Bay in Dubai). They have received awards in his work among which two finalists positions in the awards of the European Union Mies Van der Rohe. Some of their awarded works have been exhibited in different events and published in several monographs.
RCR has shown the ability to think and transform that bring teamwork and the promotion of cultural initiatives from Bunka Foundation and workshops within the LAB-A in the Espacio Barberí, and have proven that it is possible to do international architecture from a rural environment, which is what has stimulated his imagination.
Following the work of RCR there is a philosophy which works for harmony between humans and nature. The most advanced technologies and materials such as steel or glass, with established rhythms and light that acts in opposition to each, are those that allow RCR this return to the essence of space that is the subject of architecture.
Hend Almatrouk, Gijo Paul George Studio Toggle
Studio Toggle was established in 2011 by Architects Hend Almatrouk and Gijo Paul George, during their graduate studies at the Universität für Angewandte Kunst, Vienna. In 2012, they moved to Kuwait to be closer to the projects and in 2015 they joined forces with Rui Gonçalves and Pedro Varela and established Studio Toggle Porto.
The practice focuses on logical design and problem-solving techniques with a specific emphasis on Architecture and Urban Design. We believe in a balance between the opposites, that form follows function, the simplicity is complex, and that even chaos can be organized. Our expertise ranges from public-sector, commercial, residential and hospitality architecture to interior design. In the short span of 6 years, Studio Toggle has grown to a team of 15 highly dedicated professionals based in Kuwait and Portugal.
The work done by the Studio Toggle has been acclaimed in the region as evidenced by the various awards won by the practice including being named the Boutique Architecture Firm of the Year in 2018 by the Middle East Architect magazine, the Middle East Architect Residential Project of the Year 2016 for its project F.LOT, the prestigious Cityscape Award 2017 for its residential building ‘The Edges’ in Salmiya, Kuwait, to name a few. Studio Toggle's projects are regularly featured in prestigious architectural magazines.
The practice continues to push the boundaries of design sensibilities in the region and beyond.
The practice focuses on logical design and problem-solving techniques with a specific emphasis on Architecture and Urban Design. We believe in a balance between the opposites, that form follows function, the simplicity is complex, and that even chaos can be organized. Our expertise ranges from public-sector, commercial, residential and hospitality architecture to interior design. In the short span of 6 years, Studio Toggle has grown to a team of 15 highly dedicated professionals based in Kuwait and Portugal.
The work done by the Studio Toggle has been acclaimed in the region as evidenced by the various awards won by the practice including being named the Boutique Architecture Firm of the Year in 2018 by the Middle East Architect magazine, the Middle East Architect Residential Project of the Year 2016 for its project F.LOT, the prestigious Cityscape Award 2017 for its residential building ‘The Edges’ in Salmiya, Kuwait, to name a few. Studio Toggle's projects are regularly featured in prestigious architectural magazines.
The practice continues to push the boundaries of design sensibilities in the region and beyond.
Joaquín Pérez-Goicoechea, Nasser B. Abulhasan AGi ARCHITECTS
The international design firm AGi architects was founded in 2006 by two young architects educated at Harvard University, Joaquín Pérez-Goicoechea and Nasser B. Abulhasan.
With a noticeable international character and a multidisciplinary focus, AGi architects offers a professional service emphasizing quality,creativity and exclusive design. AGi has a vision to create environments that create a lasting value for clients through distinctive and imaginative solutions. At present, the studio has offices in Kuwait and Madrid, with a team comprised of more than 50 professionals.
The studio's architecture is based on four founding pillars: innovation, an inherent life component, ecological and social interventions andresearch. AGi architects provide comprehensive services in architecture, urban planning and design, interior design, research, consultancy and complementary services.
Among the latest acknowledgements for AGi architects are a nomination for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture-Mies van der Rohe Award 2015, "Highly Commended" at WAF 2015, four WAF Awards (2014, 2013, 2011 and 2010 editions), ten Middle East Architect Awards(2015, 2014, 2013 & 2012), two mentions at MIPIM Architectural Review Future Projects Awards 2012, and various awards granted in the last editions of Cityscape Awards and International Property Awards, amongst other prizes.
Joaquín Pérez- Goicoechea and Nasser B. Abulhasan.
Studio Madouh
Studio Madouh is an Architecture and Design intensive studio. The studio approaches each individual project as a new question, redefining convention to seek the best possible solution. Through the working process, SM translates the core of a design problem, along with crucial client involvement and critical consultant input, into the realization of architectural, interior, decor, and product design projects, as well as, speculative research proposals.
