Jiyeh Villa

Jiyeh Villa

Set within the coastal landscape of Jiyeh, south of Beirut, the villa is conceived as a composition of four interlocking volumes arranged in response to the site, views and need for privacy. Their alternating configuration allows the landscape to penetrate the house, creating a sequence of private courtyards and transitional spaces between public and private areas.

The natural slope of the site generates a series of cantilevered platforms extending over solid rectangular volumes. Rather than treating the topography as a constraint, the landscape is shaped to embrace the house, providing privacy from neighboring properties while creating direct connections to the elevated terraces. The main terrace becomes an extension of the terrain—a horizontal plane projecting toward the Mediterranean.

A substantial yet porous U-shaped wall wraps around the villa, protecting it from its immediate surroundings while opening the architecture toward the sea. The contrast between enclosure and openness defines the façades: the Mediterranean-facing elevation becomes largely transparent, maximizing views and natural light, while the lateral façades are more protected, allowing filtered glimpses through carefully positioned openings. These perforations reinterpret passive strategies found in the traditional architecture of hot climates, balancing privacy, shade and connection to the exterior.

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