Slabs House: A Modern Residential Masterpiece

Architect Ghiath Al Masri's Award-Winning Design Fuses Modernity with Intimacy

The Slabs House was inspired by the idea of creating a modern, intimate, open, and private residential home. The design ingeniously uses concrete slabs to create a dichotomy between the concealed street view and the openness experienced from inside the house. The house's design is a tribute to the modern architectural landscape while evoking a sense of history through its construction materials.

What sets the Slabs House apart is its liberal interplay between the main materials used in its construction - wood, concrete, and steel. The use of floor-to-ceiling windows, twinned with concrete slabs separated by strips of space, creates an informal yet structured juxtaposition. This blend of materials makes the living experience both visually appealing and tactile, offering a unique residential experience.

The Slabs House is a concrete structure with steel structures and a blend of finishing materials including concrete, white sigma, and Basalt stone. The house's design juxtaposes past and present, new and old materials, and brings in historical markers of Kuwait's construction to evoke a sense of history. The property consists of three floors above ground with storage, a 140 sqm garden at the ground level, a terrace garden on the second floor, and a storage area on the roof that houses all mechanical and electrical units away from the primary residence.

The design of the house guides visitors into the core of the property. The gardens on both the ground and first floors create a feeling of the outside and inside merging, while the steel and concrete protect the inside from extreme heat and weather conditions. The design was realized throughout 2018 in Kuwait, with the biggest challenge being the incorporation of full windows while maintaining privacy through the use of concrete slabs.

The Slabs House was designed to juxtapose construction materials, combining wood, concrete, and steel. The design is hyper-modern yet discreet, with the huge windows being an immediate focal point, protected from the weather and street-view by concrete slabs. The gardens feature heavily in the property, allowing the residents to feel connected to nature as they interact with the property, creating a unique flow from the entrance to the living areas.

The Slabs House is not just an architectural marvel but also an award-winning design. It was awarded Silver in the A' Architecture, Building, and Structure Design Award in 2019, a testament to its outstanding expertise and innovation. The design showcases a remarkable level of excellence and introduces positive feelings, amazement, and wonder, making it a top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable design.