18 Villas

This project is a residential compound in Riyadh, KSA, which consists of 18 villas (from 480 to 550 sqm), each with a private garden and swimming pool (from 210 to 250 sqm). The challenge was to avoid monotonous repetition of similar volumes, while preserving a standardized construction strategy with minimum plan variations.

Two distinct boxes shape the private villas in Riyadh: the ground floor features social areas seamlessly connected to outdoor landscaped spaces, while the flexible structural frame allows adaptable interiors. Bedrooms and private spaces occupy the first floor, with technical and service areas on the top floor, where outdoor spaces integrate the villas with their surroundings.

The boxes are shifted on the street façade to provide transparency on the ground level. They are slightly twisted at the top to generate dynamic outdoor spaces. The roof is pitched to optimize the entrance of daylight into the villas and break the rigidity of the overall massing of volumes. The 18 villas are rotated in different directions to create variety in the master plan.

The treatment of the façade is simple and refined. Local white stone and mashrabieh-like mesh elements serve to remind us of traditional Arabian architecture.