This mountainside house is conceived as a journey from the sculptural canopy at the entrance through a succession of spaces up to a balcony suspended over a pool with views over the valley to the sea. The footprint is a reinterpretation of an iwan, comprising a rectangle with a semicircular glass indentation on one side. This curve is echoed internally in a sinuous staircase that winds through the double-height entrance area to the upper floor. Many details are inspired by the owners’ mixed Muslim and Christian heritage: for example, the shelving built into the hallway wall is based on the clients’ names written in Arabic calligraphy.

Source:

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2011.