Studio Madouh has designed a residential project in Kuwait City called Residential M that is inspired by intersecting rocks forming a sweeping dune-like compound that acts as the external skin that defines the internal programme of five residential units.
While respecting the value of the surroundings and maintaining traditional Arabic functions as a whole, each unit sustains its individual contemporary identity. The 2,529m² project strip, located in the seaside Rawda district, reflects a unified scheme through the design in the use of the natural stone against a white canvas allowing the project to tie together as a single development.
Inspired by the desert dunes and oases, the compound cleverly unites the two contradictory characteristics of a required function with a conflicting form. Through specific volume arrangements, a unified palette and natural materials, the design has achieved a seamless open flow between spaces, drawing on views and nature privately when the residents still all have the benefits of a big glass facade and sunlight can filter in.
While the entire project belongs to one family yet consists of five different units and has to meet each of the residents’ expectations as well as budget, all of them maintain links to each other with bridges and walkways that are situated between microclimate luscious gardens and overcooling water surfaces to promote interaction and ease of flow. The unified shell on one hand, respects privacy and controls temperature, on the other hand it offers open, green pockets, and reduces direct heat gain as the project is situated in one of the hottest countries in the world.
The ease of connections between the dwellings and the facade attributes also allows for flexibility in space exchange and loss. Over time, and with different ages as people age, they tend to want less or more spaces depending on their needs. Connected dwellings give the ease of space exchange with simply closing one door or opening one pathway without interrupting the exterior casing of the compound.
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Photos: Nelson Garrido
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