Desert house

The Desert House in AlUla is conceived as a retreat embedded within the vast, silent landscape of Saudi Arabia’s desert, responding directly to the light, sand, and geological presence of AlUla. The project explores inhabitation as an act within the terrain rather than upon it, where architecture emerges as a continuation of the landscape itself.

The house is organised through a sequence of interconnected courtyards that generate shade, frame distant views, and create sheltered interior atmospheres oriented towards pockets of vegetation. Conceived primarily in rammed earth, the construction blends with the surrounding rock formations, establishing continuity between built form and natural ground.

Rather than asserting itself as an object in the desert, the design operates as a subtle excavation of the surface, offering moments of intimacy, stillness, and shadow. It reflects on AlUla as a landscape where time, geology, and human presence intersect, transforming dwelling into a slow, spatial passage through terrain.

 

Location: Alula, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Size: 3000 sqm

Client: 100 Residences 100 Architects international architecture competition

​

In collaboration with CDC Abdel Halim Architects

.