The project is located on a heavily sloped site with a panoramic view in the gated community of Beitmisk. The design guidelines for the plot specify a fixed reference plane two floors beneath the access road.
Our main concern was how to distribute the program in a three storey villa and smoothly transition from entrance level to the main terrace below. Thus the house is conceived as an architectural promenade that seamlessly moves the visitors through a series of stairs and terraces looping around the envelope all the way down to the pool or all the way up to the roof which constitutes an ideal external lounge overlooking the panorama. Though interconnected with the internal program of the house on each floor, this promenade can act as an independent circulation system while ensuring the full privacy of the mansion served by its own inner core.
The upper ground floor is a permeable access level that invites the visitor in while exposing him to the view upon entrance. A void overlooks the formal reception on the intermediate level below which also houses the children’s’ rooms. The master suite with its own external patio also overlooks the reception area and is accessible only via a bridge along the void. A glazed double height façade fronting the reception level allows it to extend outwards to a terrace overlooking the pool and garden on the lower ground floor which contains additional leisure activities (play area, atelier, music room…).
In terms of expression, the components of the promenade (stairs and slabs) are clad in white engineered stone, while the infill volumes are clad in wooden slats which become operable screens for shading and/or privacy in front of the glazing.