Modern Villa, Abu Dhabi

The front elevation is composed of distinct volumes, each given its own material: vein-cut travertine, white textured plaster, and vertical timber cladding. A double-height timber-clad entrance sits at the center, flanked by deep black overhangs with timber soffits that shade the full-height glazing. On the right wing, vertical timber fins filter light into the upper floor while keeping the façade open, and a landscaped forecourt with olive trees softens the approach from the street.

At night, the façade lighting traces the material palette. Wall washers graze the travertine and plaster volumes, recessed downlights mark the timber soffits, and the full-height glazing glows from within, revealing the double-height entrance and living spaces. Landscape uplights pick out the olive trees along the forecourt, while low bollards line the entrance path, giving the villa a calm, strong presence from the street.

The approach runs past a travertine-clad volume and a landscaped strip of olive trees and cacti set in dark gravel. Floating stone steps rise to the entrance terrace, where a deep framed opening in the white plaster wall looks into an internal courtyard with built-in seating. Above, the roof cantilevers well beyond the façade with a timber soffit and recessed downlights, sheltering the entry and the full-height glazing from direct sun.

On the garden side, the upper floor projects over the ground-floor glazing as a deep cantilever, creating shaded terraces below. A tall travertine volume anchors the corner, while vertical timber cladding panels break up the stone mass and add warmth to both levels. Frameless glass balustrades keep the sightlines clear from the upper rooms, and wide stone steps lead down from the terrace to an open lawn.

The outdoor lounge sits under a timber-slatted pergola framed in black steel, which casts shifting bands of shade across the stone paving through the day. From here, the view runs along the lap pool to the rear elevation, where a single vertical timber panel sits between full-height glazing and white plaster. A cantilevered upper floor with a timber soffit shades the ground-floor living spaces, and travertine piers tie the terrace back to the house.

A long travertine wall reaches out from the house into the garden, carrying a black steel overhang that shelters a glazed corner room. Beyond it, the roof continues as a covered walkway supported on travertine piers, linking the main house to the outer garden. In front, a lawn-set fire pit lounge gives the garden a second gathering point away from the pool terrace, while olive trees and cacti keep the planting low-maintenance and suited to the climate.

This elevation is quieter and more private. A tall white plaster volume holds a single large, framed window, while slim vertical openings bring light into the ground floor without exposing the interiors. A continuous black fascia runs almost the full length of the house, tying the travertine pavilion and covered terrace on the left to the main block, and giving the long, low composition a strong horizontal line against the lawn.