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Mahrakani Residence
Mahrakani Residence
Amman, Jordan
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Other Projects by maisam architects & engineers
Mahrakani Residence
Amman, Jordan
Type
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2006
SIZE
10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft
Situated within the calm residential neighborhood of Dabouq is the 1,100 SQM residence of the Mahrakani family. The house sits gracefully amidst its suburban surrounding within a residential block accessed from Al-Shaeb Street. The allocated plot is bordered by other residences on the north, west and south sides while the east side looks onto a side road.
The Mahrakani family requires a home that reflects their lifestyle, identity and culture. The Mahrakanies are in the business of manufacturing jewelry and are very appreciative of bold and elegant details. They value strong and close family ties and require a design that accommodates the two generations living within their residence. The design is to allow the members to stay connected most of the time while also allowing for privacy and seclusion at other times. They enjoy hosting outdoors and require frequent and easy access to the terraces and gardens as a top design priority.
In response to the main challenge of building on a small plot of land, squeezed within the urban fabric of Dabouq and surrounded by neighboring residences, the architectural approach here is ‘introverted’. A basic square shaped block is subtracted to form the outer parameter of the Mahrakani house. According to basic residential functions, this mass smooth and contemporary in its aesthetic, shifts to unveil a rough, traditional looking mass of similar proportions. The massing composition offers a glimpse of the traditional Amman architecture and regional way of living while shifting to the new building and modern way of living. The composition allows for open, transparent spaces within the contemporary while also enclosed, private spaces within the traditional.
A clear distribution of functions and activities within the mass becomes visible and a close relation with the outdoor is granted due to the pockets interrupting the solid. These pockets create focal entry points, courtyards and balconies for maximum privacy and seclusion. A courtyard merges the outside with the inside as it is located inside the house upon entry. Defined axis lines are introduced in the design, emphasizing the entrances to the residence while splitting the mass and dedicating areas for open and enclosed spaces, public and private spaces, accommodating the clients need and style of living.
The facades convey an interesting contrast between the rough and the smooth, the open and the closed where ornamentation and detailing is achieved on the exterior as well as interior walls of the villa. The house is valued like a jewel between the green garden, cut, smoothed and faceted in a highly sophisticated manner.
The house represents a modern arrangement of shapes and articulation, providing an interesting composition of solid and smooth masses with rough fragmented walls. Driving to the residence, the architectural geometry of the villa stands out with a bold solid stone statement interrupted by the transparency of the reception hall reflecting through the main façade. On entering the villa, a long and rough wall welcomes one into the entrance hall (the first touch point of the villa) a double volume space filled with natural light, and a courtyard. This courtyard is the focal point of the house where a tree is planted to celebrate the prosperous life of the family and to bring the outdoor indoor in a transparent and interactive manner. A main staircase lies within this double volume hall connecting the spaces vertically together.
A living room sits between the main entry hall and the backyard garden flanked by two walls, one inside the house and the other to the outside. The inside wall creates a partition to semi enclose the living space and it incorporates fire representing motivation, security and energy upon entry. This fireplace allows a warm, welcoming and cozy effect for this predominantly open, street-facing space during the winter. The outdoor wall on the other hand stands in parallel and contains water representing the fluidity, emotion and flexibility within the villa. A waterfall cascades over one of the exterior walls and enhances the outdoor seating experience, reminiscent of a water fountain in a traditional Arabian courtyard. The north-west side of the house sees a cluster of enclosed spaces accommodating a master bedroom, a study and the kitchen which is also accessed from a separate entry from the garage. On the second level the bedrooms are distributed with each having a separate terrace enabled by the subtracted mass of the villa. The terraces provide privacy to the occupant as well as allow natural light to penetrate the bedroom spaces. The living room is enclosed, but overlooks the main entrance hall and courtyard below, and has access to a spacious outdoor terrace that allows views to the garden and to the adjacent setting.
The architectural composition creates interesting interconnected spaces between solids and voids, light and shadow, private and public with all elements stairs, gardens, balconies and courtyards, positioned in a way to blur the line between what is outdoor and what is indoor. The different scale of Window openings bring in linear rays or light which create a cozy and intimate feel to the villa, while also veil and unveil when needed. The flow within interior spaces and from interior to exterior spaces is not only a spatial condition rather it is an issue of materiality that enhances the sinus experience. The glass and steel façade make the house light, airy and open, but it is the use of stone that solidifies the house’s contextual relationship.
The overall design accentuates the connectivity between the enclosed, semi open and the open, the built with the outside nature and the inhabitants with their cultural norms and daily activities. The villa’s massing; shape and leveling provide interesting spaces for the occupants to enjoy a dynamic and social lifestyle.
The house projects a contemporary image embodying a multitude of architectural expressions: the solid vs. the transparent, the smooth vs. the rough, the introverted vs. the extroverted and most visibly the modern vs. the traditional. The building’s layered material combination, with modern ornamented facade, and different composition of subtraction of solid and addition of detail lead to the sophisticated aesthetic of the villa inspired by the Arabian culture and the family’s businesses and traditions.
The Mahrakani family requires a home that reflects their lifestyle, identity and culture. The Mahrakanies are in the business of manufacturing jewelry and are very appreciative of bold and elegant details. They value strong and close family ties and require a design that accommodates the two generations living within their residence. The design is to allow the members to stay connected most of the time while also allowing for privacy and seclusion at other times. They enjoy hosting outdoors and require frequent and easy access to the terraces and gardens as a top design priority.
In response to the main challenge of building on a small plot of land, squeezed within the urban fabric of Dabouq and surrounded by neighboring residences, the architectural approach here is ‘introverted’. A basic square shaped block is subtracted to form the outer parameter of the Mahrakani house. According to basic residential functions, this mass smooth and contemporary in its aesthetic, shifts to unveil a rough, traditional looking mass of similar proportions. The massing composition offers a glimpse of the traditional Amman architecture and regional way of living while shifting to the new building and modern way of living. The composition allows for open, transparent spaces within the contemporary while also enclosed, private spaces within the traditional.
A clear distribution of functions and activities within the mass becomes visible and a close relation with the outdoor is granted due to the pockets interrupting the solid. These pockets create focal entry points, courtyards and balconies for maximum privacy and seclusion. A courtyard merges the outside with the inside as it is located inside the house upon entry. Defined axis lines are introduced in the design, emphasizing the entrances to the residence while splitting the mass and dedicating areas for open and enclosed spaces, public and private spaces, accommodating the clients need and style of living.
The facades convey an interesting contrast between the rough and the smooth, the open and the closed where ornamentation and detailing is achieved on the exterior as well as interior walls of the villa. The house is valued like a jewel between the green garden, cut, smoothed and faceted in a highly sophisticated manner.
The house represents a modern arrangement of shapes and articulation, providing an interesting composition of solid and smooth masses with rough fragmented walls. Driving to the residence, the architectural geometry of the villa stands out with a bold solid stone statement interrupted by the transparency of the reception hall reflecting through the main façade. On entering the villa, a long and rough wall welcomes one into the entrance hall (the first touch point of the villa) a double volume space filled with natural light, and a courtyard. This courtyard is the focal point of the house where a tree is planted to celebrate the prosperous life of the family and to bring the outdoor indoor in a transparent and interactive manner. A main staircase lies within this double volume hall connecting the spaces vertically together.
A living room sits between the main entry hall and the backyard garden flanked by two walls, one inside the house and the other to the outside. The inside wall creates a partition to semi enclose the living space and it incorporates fire representing motivation, security and energy upon entry. This fireplace allows a warm, welcoming and cozy effect for this predominantly open, street-facing space during the winter. The outdoor wall on the other hand stands in parallel and contains water representing the fluidity, emotion and flexibility within the villa. A waterfall cascades over one of the exterior walls and enhances the outdoor seating experience, reminiscent of a water fountain in a traditional Arabian courtyard. The north-west side of the house sees a cluster of enclosed spaces accommodating a master bedroom, a study and the kitchen which is also accessed from a separate entry from the garage. On the second level the bedrooms are distributed with each having a separate terrace enabled by the subtracted mass of the villa. The terraces provide privacy to the occupant as well as allow natural light to penetrate the bedroom spaces. The living room is enclosed, but overlooks the main entrance hall and courtyard below, and has access to a spacious outdoor terrace that allows views to the garden and to the adjacent setting.
The architectural composition creates interesting interconnected spaces between solids and voids, light and shadow, private and public with all elements stairs, gardens, balconies and courtyards, positioned in a way to blur the line between what is outdoor and what is indoor. The different scale of Window openings bring in linear rays or light which create a cozy and intimate feel to the villa, while also veil and unveil when needed. The flow within interior spaces and from interior to exterior spaces is not only a spatial condition rather it is an issue of materiality that enhances the sinus experience. The glass and steel façade make the house light, airy and open, but it is the use of stone that solidifies the house’s contextual relationship.
The overall design accentuates the connectivity between the enclosed, semi open and the open, the built with the outside nature and the inhabitants with their cultural norms and daily activities. The villa’s massing; shape and leveling provide interesting spaces for the occupants to enjoy a dynamic and social lifestyle.
The house projects a contemporary image embodying a multitude of architectural expressions: the solid vs. the transparent, the smooth vs. the rough, the introverted vs. the extroverted and most visibly the modern vs. the traditional. The building’s layered material combination, with modern ornamented facade, and different composition of subtraction of solid and addition of detail lead to the sophisticated aesthetic of the villa inspired by the Arabian culture and the family’s businesses and traditions.
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