Design Team: Karim Najjar, Krystel Wehbe, Muhammad Mehdi
The project is located in Shemlan, a village in the Aley District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate in Lebanon, about 25 km north of Beirut. The lot with its gentle slope offers beautiful views over the Mediterranean Sea and Beirut to the south. Our design intention was to integrate architypes for dwelling into the design of a modern building. The lower level hosts the bedrooms, which are dug into the ground to provide cave-like shelter behind walls made of natural stone.
The upper level is projected out over the ground like a tree house to provide unobstructed views of the surrounding landscape. The giant wing-like roof extends over the living area and terraces, therefore blurring the boundaries between inside and outside, and allowing residents to experience the beauty of nature all year-round.