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Bespoke Villa Featuring Golden Accents and Curved Windows with Traditional Arches

Bespoke Villa Featuring Golden Accents and Curved Windows with Traditional Arches
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Curved windows framed in traditional arches complement gold accents and elegant beige plaster in a villa designed for family living in Dar Al-Sakina, where functionality and cultural heritage seamlessly converge.
5 key facts about this project
01
Majlis designed to facilitate social interactions while respecting privacy.
02
Curved windows enhance natural light and blur the boundary between indoors and outdoors.
03
Traditional arches paired with modern materials create a unique architectural narrative.
04
Landscaping features integrate water elements for a calming environmental effect.
05
Gold accents detail key areas, adding a touch of luxury to the overall design.

### Project Overview

**Project Name**: The Door of Serenity
**Location**: Dar Al-Sakina, UAE
**Objective**: The design seeks to create a family residence that embodies tranquility and understanding, integrating traditional and modern architectural elements to promote the well-being of its occupants.

### Spatial Organization and Functionality

The villa features a three-level spatial arrangement, each floor serving distinct functions. The **Ground Floor** (124.29 m²) is designed for ease of accessibility, encompassing living areas, a storeroom, a kitchen, and a **majlis**, which serves as a focal point for social interactions. A garage accommodates two vehicles, reflecting the local cultural context of vehicle ownership. The **First Floor** (58.84 m²) includes a service block that houses quarters for staff, thereby enhancing privacy for both family members and personnel. The **Second Floor** (119.57 m²) is dedicated to private living spaces, featuring four bedrooms, including a master suite, each equipped with en-suite bathrooms and dressing areas, totaling a building area of **302.79 m²**.

### Architectural Elements and Materiality

The villa's facade presents a dialogue between traditional Emirati architectural influences and contemporary design sensibilities. Key characteristics include arches and decorative patterns crafted from modern materials, enhancing both aesthetic appeal and cultural resonance. Window openings shaped to reflect celestial themes provide ample natural light while reinforcing the narrative link to local folklore. The material palette comprises glass for transparency, plaster that supports the building's form, gold metal for decorative accents, and marble on the eastern facade, all contributing to a layered and dynamically expressive architectural identity.

Landscaping elements further enhance the design, incorporating greenery and water features that foster a sense of tranquility. The layout achieves a functional segmentation of public and private spaces, ensuring the family's privacy while accommodating hosting activities within shared areas. Through careful consideration of design and materiality, the villa serves as a representation of family life interwoven with cultural identity.

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The Next House: USA — A Global Call to Reimagine the American Suburb

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Competition organisers

Buildner is launching The Next House: USA, a global architecture competition that challenges architects, designers, and thinkers to reimagine the American suburban home for the 21st century. For decades, the suburban house has symbolized comfort and stability, but today it often reflects excess, isolation, and environmental strain. This competition asks: how can the American home evolve to address climate urgency, economic pressures, and shifting social values?

Participants are tasked with designing a prototype home of no more than 1,500 sq ft (≈140 m²) for a household of two adults and one child. The design should be compact yet generous, adaptable, sustainable, affordable, and replicable across diverse U.S. contexts. More than a design exercise, the competition aims to spark a conversation about how homes can support healthier, smarter, and more connected communities.

The total prize fund is $20,000 USD. The final registration deadline is May 20, 2026, and winners will be announced on September 22, 2026. The Next House: USA invites architects, students, and visionaries worldwide to redefine what the American home means today—and what it should mean tomorrow.

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