This sculptural, cube-like home responds to its location on the edge of a busy coastal highway north of Beirut by turning a blind, puzzle-box face to the street to better shield inhabitants from noise and the gaze of passers-by.
Punctuated by suspended gardens and corner openings, when viewed from the road, one of the house’s notable features is the cantilevered, extruded white marble cube on the upper level, which contains the master shower. Seen from the gardens, however, the house presents an entirely different face. Oriented to look over an infinity pool and south across the bay to the lights of Jounieh and Beirut beyond, the house becomes a series of openings that transform the view, framing sea, mountains and city in almost painterly panoramas that bring the outside indoors.
With public areas on the ground floor and the uppermost level given over to the master bedroom, its plunge pool and rooftop garden shielded behind a flying balustrade, the house becomes more private as it rises. Guest quarters, as well as an office are located on a broad mezzanine level, which offers a carefully cropped view of the Mediterranean. The intermediate level houses the children’s bedrooms and has its own triple-height louvered patio, designed as a communal space, which links the bedrooms and gives the children their own private outdoor play area.
Awards
CNBC Arabian Properties Awards: 5 stars winner in the Residential single unit section
World Architectural Festival Awards 2009: Shortlisted in the Residential- Future Projects category
Photography: Richard Saad
