This beautiful home has loads of secret hiding spots and stays cool in the desert heat.
Traditionally, Arabic homes huddle together in order to create shade. This is a great technique to keep desert buildings nice and cool, but it’s not so great for foiling peeping Toms and Tamis.
AGi Architects struck the perfect balance by creating a space that is both well-shaded and private. Albeit somewhat high-budget, this striking addition to Kuwait’s Shuwaikh B skyline has a relatively small environmental footprint and spectacular views of the surrounding urban setting.
The homeowners definitely wanted to be able to interact with the outer world without completely compromising their privacy.
AGi kept the public areas on the ground floor, and then, to maximize lighting and a cooling breeze, created a ventilation area over the central courtyard garden.
Beyond the courtyard are a private swimming pool and gathering area that also leads to bedrooms and various secret hideaway spots. Everything is very well shaded to keep out the hot sun. 
The top level is landscaped, which adds a slight green aesthetic to an otherwise hectic urban setting and provides a nice environment for the home’s residents to witness the city skyline without being witnessed in return. Although not nearly as sustainable as earth architecture projects we have featured previously on Green Prophet, the “secret house” does demonstrate that sustainability can be beautiful too.
More on sustainable architecture in the Middle East:
Earth Architecture all the way to Timbuktu
Hassan Fathy is the Middle East’s Father of Sustainable Architecture
Foster & Partners Finish Gorgeous Green Building in Morocco
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
