Villa Agava
Fernando Guerra - FG + SG

Villa Agava

Driss Kettani Architecte as Architects

This house is projected on a north-south oriented plot and features a blind façade on the street while being largely open on the side and the back with the south oriented garden.


The plan “silhouette” is the consequence of the urban rules and the need to perfectly fit with the adjoining house on the east.


The disadvantageous north orientation on the street and the presence of existing high enclosure walls are here an opportunity to revisit some of the traditional house codes, while maintaining at the same time transparency and spatial fluidity.


A chicane entrance, highlighted by a set of black and gray-blue traditional tiles walls emphasizes this duality and reinforces the contrast between privacy and discretion on the street and openness and transparency on the pool and the garden. This principle is affirmed through three landscape sequences, the mineral garden at the entrance, the aquatic sequence on the lateral side and the vegetal garden on the south, which in combination with the enclosure walls reinterpret in a certain way the courtyard.


Inside, a wooden panel / chimney acts as a pivot and help preserving the service area privacy while maintaining a fluidity of use. This panel incorporates a screen of wooden slats whose opacity varies according to the angle of view.


The project tries to play on the notions of privacy and transparency, fluidity and functional considerations and uses a palette of materials both raw and rich in textures and colors which in combination with the vegetal element offers an abstract composition on the street.

Products Behind Projects
Product Spotlight
News
Introducing Partner Geopietra
19 Apr 2024 Partner News
Introducing Partner Geopietra

Geopietra® is an international brand and an Italian company founded in 1996, specialized in the... More

Shigeru Ban’s Paper Log House at Philip Johnson’s Glass House
18 Apr 2024 News
Shigeru Ban’s Paper Log House at Philip Johnson’s Glass House

In New Canaan, Connecticut, Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House has opened as part of the 75th annivers... More

10 commercial buildings that benefit from planted facades
18 Apr 2024 Specification
10 commercial buildings that benefit from planted facades

The integration of nature into architecture marks a proactive urban response to the climate emergenc... More

Hudson Valley Residence by HGX Design draws inspiration from local agricultural vernacular
17 Apr 2024 News
Hudson Valley Residence by HGX Design draws inspiration from local agricultural vernacular

New York City-based creative studio HGX Design has completed the Hudson Valley Residence, a modern,... More

Key projects by Perkins&Will
17 Apr 2024 News
Key projects by Perkins&Will

Perkins&Will, a global interdisciplinary design practice, places architecture at its core. With... More

Archello Awards 2024 – Early Bird submissions ending April 30th
16 Apr 2024 News
Archello Awards 2024 – Early Bird submissions ending April 30th

The Archello Awards is an exhilarating and affordable global awards program celebrating the best arc... More

Albion Stone creates stone bricks from “unloved” stone
15 Apr 2024 Innovations
Albion Stone creates stone bricks from “unloved” stone

A stone brick is a sustainable building material made using stone blocks and slabs that do not meet... More

25 best engineered wood flooring manufacturers
15 Apr 2024 Specification
25 best engineered wood flooring manufacturers

Engineered wood flooring is a versatile building product that offers several advantages over traditi... More