The Terraces, Brih

“Then a mason came forth and said, ‘Speak to us of Houses’, and he answered and said, ‘Build of your imaginings a bower (a place closed in with foliage) in the wilderness ere (before) you build a house within the city walls.”

 “On Houses” from The Prophet by Khalil Gibran

The design of this single-family villa in the Chouf mountains of Lebanon draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape and terrain. Located in the small village of Brih—marked by destruction and desolation during the Lebanese Civil War—the villa responds to both context and memory.

The concept developed as a composition of two distinct volumes, separate yet connected through a central entrance and lobby. The front volume houses the public functions, while the rear contains the family quarters in a two-story structure. This U-shaped configuration embraces an outdoor space with a pool—like a private piazza—open to the surrounding landscape.

Access to the villa unfolds along a meandering road at the foot of the hill, weaving through terraced olive groves that follow the natural topography. The architecture accentuates this horizontal composition, culminating at the site’s edge in a composition of natural stone and crisp white stucco.

The villa integrates discreetly into its setting, through this sensitive arrangement. Its minimalist aesthetic draws from traditional Lebanese typologies, reinterpreted in a contemporary language. Rather than embracing glamorous design gestures or imposing monumental forms, the design prioritizes a dialogue with the landscape, the context, and the site's history—offering a sequence of passages and patios that recall vernacular architecture in a contemporary way.