Out-to-Out House / L.E.FT Architects

Architects: L.E.FT Architects
Area: 500 m²
Year: 2016
Photography: Bahaa Ghoussain
Landscape Architecture: Frederic Francis Landscape Architecture
Project Team: Ana Conchan, Daniel Colvard, Makram el Kadi, Valeria Fervorari, Ziad Jamaleddine , Mahdi Sabbagh, Karine Yassine
Structural & MEP Engineers: BTUTP
Contractor: CPM Contracting
City: Faqra
Country: Lebanon

Out-to-Out House, a residential building designed by L.E.FT Architects in the snow resort of Faqra, Lebanon, uses a unique curved geometry to create diverse outdoor spaces tailored to Lebanon’s varied climatic conditions. Completed in 2016, the design maximizes yearly occupancy through four distinct seasonal outdoor areas.

Located in the snow resort of Faqra, Lebanon, Out-to-Out House by L.E.FT Architects features a two-story concrete structure embracing its triangular corner site with gently curved geometry. This design forms varied outdoor spaces with distinct spatial and environmental qualities. The house includes a rectangular ground floor (5.5m x 20m) housing the bedrooms, topped by a curved first floor (5.5m x 24m) containing the living areas.

Inspired by a Lebanese urban myth about skiing in the mountains and swimming in the sea on the same day, the design scales this experience to a domestic setting. The elevated outdoor roof offers mountain views while the ground level features an outdoor pool area, connected by a continuous looping circulation.

Mapping the resort’s seasonal cycles and overlaps with Lebanese holidays, the design maximizes yearly occupancy through four ‘weather-specific’ outdoor spaces along this loop. Each space, with its unique degree of enclosure and orientation, encourages enjoyment across all seasons. These outdoor areas make the house porous, open to air, sun, tree shade, blowing leaves, and accumulating snow.

The house is organized around a circulation path connecting the four outdoor spaces. Starting at the (Spring) Welcome Terrace on the first floor, one can ascend via a tangential walled stair to the (Fall) Roof Deck entertainment area, then descend to the (Winter) Elevated Inner Courtyard on the first floor, and further down to the ground floor’s (Summer) Pool Piloti through a spiral staircase. This continuous spatial movement complements the interior space sequence without entering them.

This path allows experiencing the architecture from outside, creating an in-between space between the architecture and its environment. The house’s volumetric articulation is influenced by the circulation loop and orientation towards the view. The ground floor is a simple rectangle with private spaces facing the pool deck area, while the first-floor living areas bend towards the view, offering a reflective perspective. Inside, the bent space features a custom-designed bent dining table.

The space is lined with an operable wood curved service wall on one side and a curved glass wall on the other, providing panoramic views of the mountainous landscape. The roof serves as the house’s hub above the tree line, suitable for sunset parties and events, accessible from upper and lower streets, with an expanded railing morphing into a bar counter.