Articles by Hana Abdel

S-House is located in one of the popular streets of the town with typical Indian neighborhood characterized by busy streets and proximity to other residences. The residence was conceptualized as an amalgamation of the serenity of the site and the client’s requirement of a simple and sumptuous house.  The façade of the house was inspired by Various Sections of the metal profiles Composed together to show the slices of the visible form. Creating a strong exterior volume makes a bold statement, Allowing the residence to stand out among the neighboring forms.

At first glance, ‘Iyashi House’ provokes its visitors to close their eyes, let go of digital distractions and disregard, if only for a moment, the views of the surrounding landscape and otherwise architectural finesse that characterizes the house altogether. In the absence of the visual dimension, one can begin to perceive the emerging sound of silence within the space, complemented by distant undertones of suburban nature. A sensation of soft breeze pulsates through the house, leaving the only tangible demarcation of indoor and outdoor tethered to the material and textural transitions beneath one’s bare feet. The Japanese word ‘Iyashi’ bears the meaning of healing, rejuvenation or sense of serenity. This house is designed as a kind of domestic sanctum, immersed in silence, natural light and picturesque scenery. ‘Iyashi House’ is a 3 bedroom private residence nestled in a serene lakeside suburb of Bandung Indonesia, conceived as a couple’s retirement home and a place of gathering for their extended family and friends.

Functionality, good ventilation, comfortable lighting and access to views are some of the important required characteristics that make for human comfort in an inhabited or occupied space. Nonetheless, those elements are becoming harder to achieve withing smaller city dwellings and builds. Architects and individuals therefore turn towards design solutions to create more agreeable and personalized settings.

A suburban terrace house in Denai Alam, Malaysia owned by a young family who requested for minimal intervention due to their budget. The approach was to re-imagine a form befitting a corner house and to re-purpose the living spaces on ground level. To adhere to the budget, there was a deliberateness to maintain as much as possible of the original layout.

Dawar Kitchen is a social enterprise located in Ezbet Khairallah, one of Cairo’s largest informal settlements. Through catering and other forms of food production, they provide dignified employment and vocational training for migrant, refugee and Egyptian women. “We pride ourselves on fair working conditions and a participatory approach that ensures worker engagement in core decision-making and business planning. ” [ Dawar Kitchen Official Page, Public Domain] 

This three-story retreat house is located in Yeoju, a suburban city of Seoul, and was designed for a successful scientist and CEO of the famed company. The tract of land is large, but had a comparatively small buildable area. The site sits on a hillside, which is surrounded by nature and beautiful scenery. Accordingly, the owner particularly sought to have a more open and spacious living/kitchen area. The required program zones are set to being more private as you go farther upward:  a family interactive zone on the 1st floor, with the private zones on the 2nd and 3rd floor. The design was initiated by juxtaposing all living spaces linearly in an east-west direction to obtain a good amount of sunlight and the best views for every individual space.