M. Villa
>> location > amman. jordan
>> year > > 2025
Set within a lush, tree-dense plot along Amman’s Fourth Circle, the private residence is conceived as a discrete architectural insertion within an existing garden landscape. Although centrally located and surrounded by the city’s movement and infrastructure, the site remains unexpectedly introverted defined by mature pine trees, layered topography, and a sense of seclusion. Rather than imposing a singular object on the land, the project extends the life of the existing villa through a series of carefully positioned volumes that sit lightly within the terrain, preserving the character of the site while reorienting the house toward inward-looking gardens and controlled vistas.
The architectural strategy is driven by fragmentation and permeability. Programmatic elements are broken into distinct yet connected masses, allowing nature to flow between interior and exterior spaces through courtyards, axes, and visual corridors. Two primary spatial spines organize the project: one dedicated to daily living and entertainment, and the other to health and wellness, anchored by water elements that thread through the architecture. Floating slabs, suspended volumes, and grounded masses establish a balance between intimacy and openness, while large openings, skylights, and courtyard conditions frame the sky and landscape as ever-present architectural components. The result is a sequence of spaces that shift between introversion and extroversion, offering moments of retreat as well as collective gathering.
Materiality and environmental responsiveness are integral to the project’s expression. Locally inspired materials such as limestone, bush-hammered concrete, and sustainably sourced timber are deployed with restraint, emphasizing texture, tactility, and longevity. Passive design strategies inform orientation, massing, and façade articulation: cross-ventilation, controlled solar gain, thermal mass, and shaded outdoor spaces contribute to a comfortable microclimate year-round. Water, greenery, and reflective surfaces further enhance the sensory experience, reinforcing the project’s ambition to sit lightly on the land while fostering a seamless dialogue between architecture and nature. In this residence, architecture becomes less an object and more an evolving environment—one that privileges lived experience, spatial continuity, and a quiet, enduring relationship with its setting.
