Apartment Building, Al-Hofuf, Saudi Arabia

The residential design for our client from Saudi Arabia is a small apartment building in Al-Hofuf, Saudi Arabia.  

There are two apartments per floor, except on the rooftop, where there is one apartment. The apartments on the lower floors have around 75 sqm each, and the client wanted to have as many bedrooms as possible per apartment, at the expense of the living zone.

The client suggested separate kitchens, even though we proposed an open kitchen connected to a living zone, as we usually do. Afterward, we understood there is a different cultural context, and it is quite common to have a separate kitchen in Saudi architecture.

On the roof floor, we have one apartment, making it more comfortable even though the kitchen is separated from the living zone. We proposed a steel canopy on the rooftop with inclined columns, making the whole structure feel lighter.

The side walls on the small terraces and rooftop apartments are hollow, protecting the building from the heat of the strong Saudi sun while still receiving enough daylight.