Located in an emerging residential area of reclaimed desert in Dubai, this group of 20 luxury villas draws on the character of the Emirate’s historic district of Al Bastakiya.

The project brings together a collection of individual house types with a shared design language. These are derived from a generic villa conceived with scope for variation. The result is a contemporary, stripped-back form of the local vernacular that provides an appropriately neutral setting for the luxurious interiors created by the residents.

Villas range from four beds of 550sqm to seven beds of 840sqm. Most have four or five bedrooms with a guest room at ground level and live-in staff accommodation. Each has a ‘maglis’ (sitting place) at its heart, with other spaces grouped around it at both ground and first floor level. While most villa types have this as a well-lit double height internal space, some villas have a central external courtyard maglis instead. Formal family and entertainment spaces are separated from service spaces such as the kitchen by an arcaded circulation route.

Villas are simply built in stuccoed blockwork. Terraces, balconies and loggias are designed to ensure plenty of natural daylight while protecting residents from the heat of the sun. Cast aluminium, fixed and sliding mashrabiya screens give further screening and privacy. Wind towers provide ventilation and high-level illumination.

To give residents the appropriate sense of privacy and space, the development is configured with a series of open and closed gardens to separate each villa from its neighbours.