Private Residence

client : Confidential
branding : Confidential
services : Architecture, Interior Design
typology : Residential
location : Abu Dhabi

This 2,900 sqm residence was designed to accommodate four Emirati sisters and their families, along with their mother, brother, and four housekeepers—reflecting a traditional extended family program typical of the region.

At the heart of the design is a spatial strategy that grants each family privacy through four distinct residential quarters, each with its own entrance, while preserving a shared sense of community. Each quarter features a small kitchen and family living room on the ground floor, with a staircase leading to private bedrooms above. These units are arranged around a circular central hall, which anchors the shared spaces of the home.

Surrounding the central hall are the formal reception room (Majlis), a large family room oriented toward the mother and brother’s quarters, and a guest suite—all enjoying natural light and views toward a central garden and an interior patio. Service circulation is efficiently managed through discrete entry points leading to an eastern stairwell adjacent to the Majlis.Respecting local setback regulations, the main structure is positioned deep within the plot, separated from two rear service blocks by an internal courtyard and trellis-covered patios. These ancillary structures accommodate staff quarters, a laundry, utility rooms, kitchen facilities, and two garages with parking for up to eight vehicles.

A key client request was a generous open forecourt framed by a prominent entrance gate. To enhance this entry, the boundary wall recedes in two places to create landscaped green pockets—an uncommon gesture in Abu Dhabi. Visitors enter a sunken forecourt before ascending 60 cm to the main entrance, sheltered by a sweeping trellis canopy designed to support climbing ivy or other arid-climate vegetation. he facade palette includes light to medium beige stone veneer strips, white stucco-painted window frames and boundary walls, and treated ipe-wood trellises flanking the entry. Softly tinted glazing complements the walls, while dual-tone curved metallic blue aluminum panels define the barrel-roof volumes housing MEP equipment, storage, and ventilation rooms.

The central courtyard canopy features arched stainless-steel cross-braces supported on concrete piers. Aged butt-jointed stone pavers add texture to the landscape, which is punctuated by teak doors and enhanced by a thoughtfully integrated lighting scheme.