RESIDENTIAL NASIMA
DATE : 2015
STATUS : COMPLETED
LOCATION : RAWDA, KUWAIT
AREA : 2100 sqm
PROGRAM : RESIDENTIAL COMPOUND
ASSOCIATE OFFICE : JBA COLLECTIVE
PHOTO : NELSON GARRIDO
rN sets out to question two typical archetypes seen throughout Kuwait City and the region. First, as a result of 20th century concepts of site and city planning, inhabitants are confined to an unrelatable, standard, rectilinear, and symmetrical urban plot dimension. Second, the project tests a natural material prevalent in the region. The abundant use of native stone and concrete acts not only as a modern construction technique, but has an innate connection to the culture and historical context as well. The design works backwards from a basic volume of the zoning envelope, essentially an offset cube. Then the monolithic volume is chiseled through a series of cuts informing internal use, program, and access. The final design encompasses over 4000 square meters of built area and provides for eight unique residential units. The jarring exterior voids are cut into the building envelope, celebrating a reading of interior program and shading natural light. Individual housing units are infilled into the larger site massing, allowing a medium between privacy and open public views.
EXTERIOR
CONCEPTION
FUNCTION
CONSTRUCTION