U Villa

Residential House for Rawasem Architecture Workshop 'RAW'

The U-shaped house was inspired by the horseshoe and the outer envelope was inspired by the Burqa’a. Two essential but different elements in the Saudi culture. Elements that resemble both pride and humbleness, strength and privacy, beauty and mystery. Quite an interesting formula. Which is what this house is all about.

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U Villa by Adel Badrawy

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Residential House by Adel Badrawy

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Adel Badrawy U Villa

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Adel Badrawy Designer Portrait Photo

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Rawasem Architecture Workshop 039 RAW 039 Brand Logo

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U Villa Residential House Press Releases

For U Villa, find press releases in a variety of languages: English.

U Villa Residential House Translations

Our U Villa translations are now available in a wide range of languages: Хонаи Истикоматй TG, குடியிருப்பு வீடு TA, Торак Йорт TT, నివాస గృహం TE, บ้านพักอาศัย TH, Konut TR, Ýaşaýyş Jaýy TK, Житловий Будинок UK, رہائشی مکان UR, تۇرالغۇ ئۆي UG, Turar-Joy UZ, Nhà Ở VI, Tŷ Preswyl CY, Wenhûs FY, Indlu Yokuhlala XH, רעזידענטשאַל הויז YI, Ibugbe Ile YO, Indlu Yokuhlala ZU, Residential House EN, Woonhuis AF, Shtëpia E Banimit SQ, የመኖሪያ ቤት AM, المنزل السكني AR, Բնակելի Տունը HY, Yaşayış Evi AZ, Etxebizitza EU, Жылы Дом BE, আবাসিক বাড়ি BN, Stambena Kuća BS, Жилищна Къща BG, လူနေအိမ် MY, Casa Residencial CA, Residential Balay CEB, Nyumba Yogona NY, 住宅 ZY, 住宅 ZH, Casa Residenziale CO, Stambena Kuća HR, Obytný Dům CS, Bolighus DA, Woonhuis NL, Loĝdomo EO, Elamu ET, Asuintalo FI, La Maison D'habitation FR, Ann An Taigh Còmhnaidh GD, Casa Residencial GL, საცხოვრებელი სახლი KA, Wohnhaus DE, Το Σπίτι Κατοικιών EL, રહેણાંક મકાન GU, Kay Rezidansyèl HT, Gidan Zama HA, Ka Hale Noho HAW, בית מגורים HE, आवासीय घर HI, Lub Tsev Nyob HMN, Lakóház HU, Íbúðarhús IS, Ụlọ Obibi IG, Rumah Tinggal ID, É Teach Cónaithe GA, Casa Residenziale IT, 住宅は JA, Omah Omah JV, ವಸತಿ ಗೃಹವು KN, Тұрғын Үй KK, ផ្ទះលំនៅឋាន KM, Inzu Yo Guturamo RW, 주거용 주택은 KO, Xaniyê Niştecîbûnê KU, Турак Үй KY, ເຮືອນທີ່ຢູ່ອາໄສ LO, Domus Residentialis LA, Dzīvojamā Māja LV, Gyvenamasis Namas LT, Wunnhaus LB, Станбена Куќа MK, Trano Fonenana MG, Rumah Kediaman MS, റെസിഡൻഷ്യൽ ഹൗസ് ML, Dar Residenzjali Hija MT, Te Whare Noho MI, निवासी घर MR, Орон Сууцны Байшин MN, आवासीय घर NE, Bolighus NO, ଆବାସିକ ଘର OR, د استوګنې کور PS, خانه مسکونی FA, Dom Mieszkalny PL, Casa Residencial PT, ਰਿਹਾਇਸ਼ੀ ਘਰ PA, Casa Rezidentiala RO, Жилой Дом RU, Fale Nofoia SM, Стамбена Кућа SR, Imba Yekugara SN, رهائشي گھر SD, නේවාසික නිවස SI, Obytný Dom SK, Stanovanjska Hiša SL, Guriga La Dego SO, Ntlo Ea Bolulo ST, Casa Residencial ES, Imah Padumukan SU, Nyumba Ya Makazi SW, Bostadshus SV, Residential House TL, for global reach.

U Villa Residential House Media Articles

We provide articles ready for publication on U Villa, offered in several languages: Korean, Japanese, Russian, Chinese (Mandarin), Turkish, Arabic (Standard), Indonesian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Hindi, English, Italian, German and French.

Unique Properties

The approach by the client was to design a house that accommodates a Saudi family of six members. The brief was creating a place within its cultural context along with the functional and environmental needs. This villa is a part of a group of consecutive separated villas for a Saudi family. The group consists of a villa for the father and two other villas for both sons. And this one is for the younger son.

Tags

Residential, Architecture, Sustainability, Contemporary, House, AlRiyadh, KSA

Production Technology

Inspired by the traditional mashrabiyas we created vertical louvers for west facade and horizontal ones for the south facade. Also, Al miqaad al saify, which is a replication of a traditional summer terrace/seating area that goes back to the 16th century. The terrace is designed facing the northwest wind, It’s west facade is protected by vertical louvers to block sun rays and enable the wind to flow inside the terrace, while open to the east side overlooking the inner courtyard. Local marble stone is used to cover the whole villa with different shades of beige and brown. The different shades visually give a sandy desert feeling to it as well as symbolizing the traditional materials used in the old houses, Ablaq stone. The other two materials used are the wooden louvers and the dark grey aluminum for windows to create contrast and harmony between materials.

Design Challenge

The challenge was to accommodate privacy, open floor plans, functional and cultural necessities, all in one place. Right from splitting private and semi-private areas from public areas while maintaining the concept of an open floor plan. All through the treatment of some traditional features of architecture in a contemporary way such as the inner courtyard with a water feature in it, the summer terrace, replacing mashrabiyas with louvers, and cladding the whole villa with local marble stone. Every single aspect of these had to be thought about in a creative way.

Project Duration

Project started in early 2019 and finished by mid 2019. It's located in Al-Riyadh, KSA.

Operation Flow

The villa is a G + 3 floors. The inspiration was the main force to distribute the spaces like the following. On the ground floor, the public majlis and reception area are facing the front yard while the living areas are open to the inner courtyard. The same goes to the upper floors, bedrooms are facing the street view while the bedroom suites are facing the courtyard. Having a wife, two sons, and two daughters, the functional necessity requires to have the ground floor acting mainly as a reception area with different levels of privacy. While the first and second floors would accommodate the bedrooms, suites, and recreational areas for the small family. Without neglecting the outdoor seating areas which are distributed on different levels of the house each with a unique experience. Also relatively large windows for a nice view and lighting purpose. Neat, simple, and perfectly functioning, are the keywords for the design brief.

Research

The design team mainly had to learn more about Saudi culture and the main items that most represent their beliefs. The team wanted to extract from this how a house can act as a part of their behaviour and the way they approach their daily life. What are their main values in life? How do we design a place that represents their values and cope with the environment? A survey had to be made by asking many Saudi people from different age groups, especially from Al-Riyadh area. As well as studying the traditional housing projects and the different solutions they've managed to come up with functionally, culturally, environmentally, and economically. It is common that every big Saudi family had three or four attached land plots -some of which we were involved in designing- where the father -head of the family- had a bigger plot while the sons had other smaller plots. In which this case is part of a family complex as explained above. It's very obvious the strong bond the Saudi family has and how this affects the architecture back in the past and nowadays. It's all about their culture and customs when it comes to building a house. But also getting exposed to modern movements in the past decade has led designers to search for contemporary treatments for traditional solutions.

Inspiration

The U-shaped house was inspired by the horseshoe. An essential element in Saudi culture. An element that some believe brings luck. It’s a piece of art itself and a foundation for their cultural and historical ride, the horse. This geometrical shape also helped to functionally form a courtyard which is the breather of the house and also splits the house into public and private zones on the ground floor while splitting the normal bedrooms from the bedroom suites in the first and second floors. Also, the morphology of the masses was inspired by the traditional dress for women, the burqa. A custom that resembles privacy and strong attachment to the roots. Two essential but different elements in Saudi culture. Elements that resemble both pride and humbleness, strength and privacy, beauty and mystery. Quite an interesting formula. Which is what this house is all about.

Project Overview

U Villa Residential House has been a Iron winner in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design award category in the year 2020 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.

Image Credits

For design images and photos please credit Adel Badrawy.

Iron Recognition

Adel Badrawy was recognized with the coveted Iron A' Design Award in 2021, a testament to excellence of their work U Villa Residential House.

Adel Badrawy Press Releases

Attention press members and journalists: We offer a collection of press releases on Adel Badrawy and their notable work, available for your unrestricted use. Journalists can access 3 press releases immediately, ready for your use.

Introducing U Villa: A Modern Residential Masterpiece in Al-Riyadh, KSA

Adel Badrawy's U Villa is a stunning residential house, inspired by Saudi culture and tradition, offering a unique blend of contemporary design and functional elegance.

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