Architects: Studio VDGA
Area: 4,000 m²
Year: 2023
Photography: Ema Peter Photography, Shoayb Khattab
Lead Architects: Deepak Guggari
Project Managers: Winner Hilistic Consultants
Landscape Designers: Urban Landscapes, LLC
Lighting Designers: Nader Gammas Lighting Design
Civil Contractors: Allied Contracting, LLC
Creative Design Head: Rashi Sanson
Design Coordinator: Abhishek Patel
MEP & HVAC: Al Farasha Electro Mechanical Contracting, LLC
Corten Steel: Facade Solutions
City: Dubai
Country: United Arab Emirates

The House of Courtyards, a villa designed by Studio VDGA in Dubai, has introduced an architecture that combines Vastu principles with the local context. Completed in 2023, this project mirrors desert architecture while balancing space planning and visually pleasing elements.

Set in Dubai, this villa was challenging project due to the city’s diverse architectural languages, from towering skyscrapers to ornate villas. Various themes were considered and revised until a form reflecting desert architecture emerged.

As Studio VDGA’s first project in the UAE, the design aimed to stay close to vernacular architecture and respect the context. This design incorporated Vastu principles and contextual relevance, creating a villa with a footprint of 30,500 sqft (2834 sqm), addressing elaborate user requirements. The house plan features courtyards that breathe life into the spaces.

The elevations’ massing enables self-shading and forms striking sciography patterns. The design considered sun paths and solstices to creates climatically conducive environment, with courtyards shaded during the harshest sun, allowing year-round use. fenestrations follow climatology principles, with the south facade lacking large opening and the North, East, and West being more open. High turrets allow natural light while reducing glare and harshness.

The material palette was minimal to balance the interior experience. External textures were inspired by desert mud-plastered looks. Corten steel is used extensively in interiors and exteriors, with perforated screens cutting off direct heat but allowing breeze flow. The landscapes features local elements, emphasizing succulents, palms, and olives, with olive trees in the courtyards symbolically binding the house.

The design focuses on the colors and textures of adobe and olive hues. all courtyards, pathways, walkways, driveways, and water bodies use hand-chiseled natural sandstones from Rajasthan, India. Water features are kept natural, and ground cover uses off-white crushed stones, enhancing he landscape palette. Natural rocks are abundant in the landscaped areas.

This project demonstrate a thoughtful integration of vernacular architecture and modern needs, providing a functional and aesthetically pleasing environment.