Rifat Chadirji Residence

Baghdad, Iraq

Iraqi architect Rifat Chadirji built his personal residence in the Waziriyya District of Baghdad. The project dates to 1954, toward the beginning of the architect's career, and reflects many of his design principles and architectural interests on a smaller, more personal scale.

Stables occupied the lot on which the house was constructed. The modest dimensions of the lot put some constraints on the size of the house, whose floor plan maximizes efficiency by omitting hallways. Like many of Chadirji's houses, he designed his home to incorporate the surrounding garden through large windows, covered porches, and patios. These transitional spaces are modern versions of ideas present in the traditional domestic architecture of Iraq, namely arcaded courtyards that formed the center of many large homes.1

The house's plan is simple. The heart of the house is a covered T-shaped block: the central wing of the T comprises a living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Surrounding this wing is a semi-outdoor space including a covered porch with a screened wall facing the house's garden, and two side patios covered by arbors. The house's other two side wings are occupied by an office and a bedroom. The office has a large window overlooking one of the trellised patios and the bedroom has a window and double door opening onto the other patio.

Notes:

1. Chadirji, Al-Ukhayḍir , 36-37.

Sources: 

Chadirji, Rifat. Al-Ukhayḍir w’al-Qaṣr al-Billawrī: nushū‘ al-naẓariyya al-jadaliyya fī al-‘imāra. London: Riad El-Rayyes, 1991.

Al-Sulṭānī, Khālid. Rif‘at al-Jādirjī: mi‘mār, 152. Amman: Adib Books, 2016.