Mahrakani Villa

Location: Dabouq, Jordan
Type: Residential
Client: Mahrakani Family
Year: 2013

Winner of the Arabian Property Award, 2013. 

A sanctuary in silence commands attention with its solid stone facade,standing resolute within the urban landscape.The street facing elevation is crafted as a seamless ,unbroken block, evoking strength and mystery. Yet once inside ,the house transforms revealing a welcoming atrium that connects to a serene garden.This contrast offers warmth ,refuge ,and a peaceful escape from the city’s rhythm.”

Situated within the calm residential neighborhood of Dabouq is the 1,100 m2 residence of the Mahrakani family. The house sits gracefully amidst its suburban surrounding within a residential block accessed from Al-Shaeb Street. The Mahrakani Residence is a modern architectural statement utilizing Jordanian Traditional stone. The house experiments a group of architectural expressions and dichotomies: solidity versus transparency, smoothness versus roughness, introverted versus extroverted and most importantly modern versus traditional.

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 required a home that reflects their lifestyle, identity and culture; the family 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 allows the members to stay connected, while also allowing for privacy and seclusion at other times.

The architectural composition creates interesting interconnected spaces between solids and voids, light and shadow, private and public. The elements, which include stairs, balconies, gardens and courtyards are designed and positioned in such a way that blurs the realms of the indoor and the outdoor. The different window scales also purposefully

diffuse and dilute light to create a cozy and intimate feel to the villa, while also veiling it when needed. The flow within the interior spaces, and from the interior to the exterior spaces is not only a spatial condition, but rather an issue of materiality that enhances the senous 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 building’s layered material combination, a modern ornamented facade, and a composition of subtraction and addition of detail culminates in a sophisticated aesthetic inspired by the Arabian culture and the family’s businesses and traditions.

A Sanctuary in silence