DESIGN - 2011
BAAKLINE - LEBANON
COTTAGE
IN BAAKLINE
CLIENT /
LOT AREA /
BUILT-UP AREA /
CHALLENGE /
The design of this private villa had to take into account the client's adoration for cottages, as well as the region's specific rules and regulations in respect to façade and roof treatments, that should conform with traditional Lebanese typology.
CONCEPT /
The 700 m² villa sits on a 1,520 m² bed of grass and is surrounded by pine and fruitful trees. The double volume entrance hall off the main road extends into the reception area and branches onto the master bedroom wing, the open kitchen and services area, and the upper floor levels. Large glazed aluminum panels backed up by wooden louvered screens slide into the external double wall opening up the reception to the garden and the view towards the valley.
The first level of the upper floor comprises a guest bedroom suite and a studio and office space, while the second level consists of an external terrace area that overlooks the garden. The pitched roof extends downwards to reach the ground floor garden space on the western side, providing shade for the parking spaces underneath, and giving the project one of its unique and distinctive characteristics. Two staircases run along the pitched roof linking the garden with the upper floor terrace on the one hand and a ‘tree house’ on top of the first floor level on the other, accessible only via that staircase, hence the concept of a secluded and private tree house. The roof is also punctured around that area to preserve an existing lonely pine tree.