SIA Architects
Residential
Bastakiya
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The heritage area is within a very sensitive context. The existence of narrow alleys that lead to wider interior spaces and the concept of public and private is widely visible in the way the district is designed. A main feature or element within the houses that surrounds the area is the courtyard, whether it was publically or privately accessed. This immensely affected our design decisions where we basically divided the project into two sections: Private (working studio, living room, bedroom, mini library room and a private courtyard) and Public (gallery, public courtyard and public gathering space). The materials that I used in the project were basic and similar to the renovated buildings on the site that used concrete, bricks.
Designer's Gallery
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Located in Sharjah, this project is a work space / gallery for a designer. The open to closed form allows for certain spaces to remain private while others are more public. The gallery for example is surrounded by glass and steel and allows the outside visitors to see it clearly from every side. On the contrary, the work space and office space is more private by the use of concrete solid walls integrated with glass to give a peak of what is on the inside. The form itself shapes the building from the outside allowing the plan to come to life in its circulation. The use of different materials and forms allows it to stand out in a city like Sharjah where the buildings remain similar by the use of domes and Islamic architecture.