A Courtyard House Shaped by Urban Constraints

In Baghdad, Shatt Al-Arab House by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos is conceived from the limitations of its site. Located at street level on one of the city’s busiest avenues, the plot is defined by the geometry of the surrounding urban fabric and by the need to create privacy, openness and domestic calm within a dense metropolitan condition.

The brief called for a residence that would bring together a daytime living area, two nighttime rooms and a space for physical exercise. Given the limited size of the plot, the most immediate strategy would have been to build vertically, freeing part of the site for a garden. Instead, the architects chose to occupy the entire plot with an extensive single-storey volume.

A Horizontal Strategy for a Compact Plot

The decision to work horizontally allows the house to establish a different relationship with the exterior. Rather than concentrating the program in a compact vertical form, the project expands across the site and connects with outdoor space in two distinct ways.

The first is a perimeter garden, which acts as a filter between the house, the avenue and the surrounding streets. The second is a central circular courtyard, which becomes the main open space of the residence and the organizing element of the entire plan.

The Circular Courtyard as the Center of the House

The central courtyard gathers the more public and open areas of the house around it. In one direction, it creates a sequence of indoor and outdoor spaces that begins and ends in the perimeter garden, allowing the interior to extend visually and physically across the full depth of the plot.

This spatial sequence is defined by four glass boundaries that can be fully retracted along the side walls. When opened, they create a hybrid condition between interior and exterior, transforming the house into a continuous open space that stretches from one end of the plot to the other.

Perimeter Garden, Privacy and Retractable Boundaries

The perimeter garden plays a dual role. It protects the house from the intensity of the surrounding urban context, while also allowing each space to remain connected to greenery and natural light. As a boundary, it is not a hard separation, but a planted threshold that mediates between domestic life and the city.

The retractable glass enclosures reinforce this sense of permeability. They allow the living areas to change character according to use, climate and time of day, expanding the domestic interior into the garden and courtyard whenever needed.

Night Rooms, Service Cores and Spatial Clarity

In the opposite direction from the main open sequence, the two primary nighttime rooms are positioned with a more controlled relationship to the exterior. These rooms open only toward the perimeter, ensuring privacy while maintaining contact with the garden.

At the four corners of the house, enclosed cores concentrate the service areas. This clear distribution frees the central and perimeter spaces, giving the plan a precise organization in which open, private and service zones are carefully balanced.

A Rooftop Oasis Above the City

The roof completes the spatial composition of the house. Accessed by an internal staircase, it is conceived as an elevated oasis defined by a series of boundaries. On the outer edge, the vegetation of the garden provides privacy from the city.

On the inner edge, a sheet of water crowns the circular courtyard below. One side of this water element becomes deeper, allowing it to be used for bathing. The roof therefore extends the logic of the house vertically, creating a final outdoor space where vegetation, water and enclosure form a protected domestic landscape above the street.

 

Incisions are few, and precise: one opening at the kitchen looks downwards; one light well at the end of the corridor accentuates a sculpture in space, and marks arrival. At the entrance prism, a vertical aperture is juxtaposed to the incision of the kitchen; as a result, each afternoon, a strip of light crosses through. Those elements are brought into a marked contrast with the other two faces of the volume, where the wall is expressed as absence. The shading device is also a mechanism, a filter in an environmental approach. The ample height of the spaces alludes to vernacular architecture, where the large air volume stabilizes interior temperature. The thermal mass of the walls adds to this effect. The tectonic shell of the project wraps this interior in an austere line, without any superficial gestures.

 

 

 

 

04. Ilios Beach Club and Nalu Surf Club | Elastic Architects

ek Issue: 304 | January – February 2026

Lighting Design: Archtube

 

Natural lighting and cross ventilation are maximized, strengthening the connection between the space and the elements of wind and sun – essential aspects of the surfing experience. At the same time, a multilayered artificial lighting scheme highlights the curves and geometries of the architecture, emphasizing the spatial composition during nighttime hours. The material palette reinforces this sense of flow and continuity. Travertine, oak timber, teak and iroko, ribbed glass, sculptural details and finishes made from natural fibers create a warm and tactile environment. Through Ilios and Nalu, a unified architectural ensemble emerges, balancing flow and stillness. The result is a multisensory hospitality experience rooted in rhythm, equilibrium and the authenticity of surf culture.

 

05. Saint Hotel | Kapsimalis Architects

ek Issue: 248 | June 2020

Lighting Design: HALO Architectural Lighting

 

The lighting of the complex operates in a discreet manner, enhancing the sculptural quality of the white volumes and the experience of movement through the landscape. Along the outdoor pathways and staircases, low-intensity linear luminaires are integrated into the architecture, emphasizing the geometry of the walls and guiding visitors during nighttime circulation. The illuminated pools act as diffused luminous surfaces within the composition, creating soft reflections across the cave volumes. Inside the rooms, lighting remains subtle and integrated into the curved surfaces, highlighting the minimalist aesthetic and the sculptural qualities of Cycladic architecture.

 

 

 

In mid-July, the new architectural lighting installation for the Hellenic Parliament Building and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was completed, accompanied by the energy upgrade of the underground parking areas and the complex’s nursery facility. The new lighting design seeks to redefine the nocturnal presence of the building and its surrounding space, situating the intervention within a contemporary framework of environmental responsibility and sustainability. The new lighting scheme was implemented exclusively using advanced LED technology, with particular emphasis on chromatic consistency and precise control of the light sources. Each luminaire is digitally controlled in terms of both intensity and operating duration, allowing the creation of dynamic lighting scenarios with a high degree of accuracy.

 

The artificial lighting scheme emphasizes clarity, orientation, and the public presence of the building within the city. Linear and recessed luminaires are carefully integrated into ceilings, circulation areas, and architectural elements, providing even illumination while preserving the clean architectural lines of the spaces. Externally, subtle façade lighting and the glow from the interior transform the town hall into a luminous urban landmark, reinforcing its role as an open and accessible civic institution within the historic center of Nicosia.

 

 

The sense of movement created by the wave-like louvers is intensified by the interplay of light and shadow throughout the day. Continuous variations in illumination transform the appearance of the façade, giving it a shifting character that responds to the movement of the sun. During the evening hours, the building’s architectural identity is further emphasized through a permanent lighting installation designed specifically for each point, angle and element of the façade. A carefully calibrated sequence of subtle variations in white light runs along the building envelope, establishing a quiet dialogue with the city’s nocturnal landscape. Particular emphasis was placed on minimizing light pollution. The lighting fixtures are controlled through specialized systems that allow them to operate at very low luminance levels, thereby protecting the surrounding urban environment.

 

 

The lighting design of the office building is conceived as an integral component of the architectural strategy, supporting both the workplace environment and the building’s contemporary identity within the urban fabric. Specifically, artificial lighting follows a restrained and highly integrated system of linear and recessed luminaires that emphasize clarity and spatial continuity. Even, glare-free illumination supports focused work while maintaining a calm and balanced atmosphere throughout the office interiors and shared spaces. At night, subtle exterior lighting accentuates the geometry of the façades and the transparency of the glazed surfaces, allowing the building to appear as a softly illuminated volume that contributes to the contemporary character of the business district.

Inhabited shadow

Located next to the Sotogrande golf course, this house was designed to dwell inside the shadow, in-between the ground plane and the flat roof that hovers above. This generous cantilever not only provides shelter from the intense sun of Cadiz but also offers protection against the heavy rainfall arriving from the nearby Grazalema mountain range, the region with the highest precipitation in the Iberian Peninsula.

 

Design Philosophy

The design establishes four distinct architectural boundaries that define the spatial experience of the house. Below, the ground plane receives the imprint of the shadow. Above, the roof slab is designed with a water surface, functioning both as an aesthetic and a bioclimatic element. Peripherally, a continuous floor-to-ceiling glass façade allows for efficient climate control within the interior while maintaining unobstructed views and seamless movement towards the landscape. Finally, the inner core features a wooden volume that ensures the necessary privacy for the rooms while introducing warmth throughout the space.

 

 

Functional Layout

Access to the house is from the upper street, a strategic point that offers a privileged view of the landscape and the water surface on the roof -an unexpected feature that provides thermal and acoustic insulation. The water layer absorbs heat during the day and gradually releases it at night, reducing the need for artificial heating and cooling.

The roof and ground planes are subtly displaced to create a covered entrance leading to the main access, parallel to an infinity pool that extends towards the golf course. Internally, the program is organized around a central circulation core, which also incorporates skylights that bring natural light into the central spaces and guide movement towards the rooftop water surface.

 

 

Materials & Furniture

One of the primary design requirements was the use of materials that compose a warm color palette. As a result, the entire ground surface -both indoors and outdoors is clad in large-format off-white ceramic slabs, harmonizing with the wooden finishes of the core and the free-standing walls that define different interior areas. The furniture is dominated by natural wood and textured white fabrics, while linear warm white lighting highlights the overall composition.

Throughout the day, sunlight washes across textured surfaces and natural materials, accentuating depth and shadow while reinforcing the continuity between interior and exterior spaces. During the evening, a carefully composed artificial lighting scheme takes over through discreet, indirect fixtures integrated into ceilings, walls and architectural details. Warm, low-intensity lighting highlights key spatial elements and circulation paths while maintaining a soft ambient glow that preserves the serene character of the residence, allowing the architecture and material palette to remain the focal point of the spatial experience.

The design aims to minimize the building’s footprint on the environment, creating a living experience within the shaded zone defined between the two primary planes. Through a simple architectural gesture, the house orchestrates an experience with a strong identity and a timeless character.

 

The Spanish architect Fran Silvestre studied at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and continued with postgraduate studies in urban planning at the Technical University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, while at the same time working at MVRDV. He later collaborated with Álvaro Siza until 2005, when he founded his own practice, Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, in Valencia. In 2016 he completed his PhD at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, where he also teaches at the School of Architecture, directing postgraduate programs. His architecture stands out for its modern idiom, with large white surfaces, an exceptional handling of space, light, and materials, clean geometries, and a pushing of structural limits to the edge of contemporary possibilities. We spoke with Fran Silvestre on the occasion of his participation as a guest of honor of the Embassy of Spain in Athens and ICEX–Interiors from Spain at the event “Shaping Spaces: A Spanish Perspective on Contemporary Architecture & Design”, held on June 4 at “Aigli” in Zappeion. The event was curated by ek magazine.

 

S.M.: How do you perceive the relationship between contemporary architecture and classical tradition?

Fran Silvestre: We are very interested in this correlation. In a way, the classical tradition has taught us that architectural proportions are a matter of order and harmony. Contemporary architecture is not a rupture but rather another kind of continuity. The idea of a tradition infused with innovation lies at the core of our thinking, since it is nothing other than designing on top of what has already been tested and proven to work, but from a new perspective, open to technology, materials, and today’s way of life.

The architecture we find interesting draws its sources from tradition but creates a new synthesis, a transformation, while adapting to a different era and different needs. In our design, we are concerned with clarity, both in structure and in proportions.

 

 

S.M.: The choice of materials and the perception of light play a central role in your work. How do you shape the spatial experience guided by them?

F.S.: We like to work with natural materials for their honesty, their ability to age beautifully, and their strong connection to place. For us, each project is not perceived as something uniform but as a heterogeneous whole, where every element retains its character while participating in a coherent composition. Light plays a critical role in our architecture because it has the power to transform static objects. We are fascinated by how the apparent stillness of architecture comes to life over the course of the day, as light moves across surfaces, revealing and concealing them. This constant alternation transforms space into experience.

 

 

S.M.: You have often emphasized the importance of model-making in the design process. How can models help develop an architectural idea, and what do you think they offer that digital tools do not?

F.S.: We like to think with our hands. Working with models has become for us a kind of meditation that allows us to perceive each project in ever greater depth. Models impose limits, just like construction does: we want to work with this way of thinking, with this kind of constraint. Digital tools, of course, are immensely powerful and offer us countless possibilities, yet we remain closer to the manual method. Working with our hands gives us access to knowledge that digital media alone cannot provide.

 

Read the full interview in ek issue 298 | June 2025.

 

White curves

The project takes advantage of its diagonal views toward a lake on the La Moraleja golf course in Madrid. Given the size of the site, the design proposes a residence that develops primarily on a single floor.

 

Spatial Organization

The daytime living areas are arranged in two volumes of varying heights, offset from one another, creating a sheltered terrace that faces the landscape and is oriented southeast. The main volume reaches a height of nearly one and a half stories. A third volume houses the nighttime areas, strategically positioned to offer a private outdoor space of its own. The interplay of the three volumes forms an entrance courtyard, oriented to the north, which adds a distinctive character to the entry experience. The geometry of the design serves a structural function, allowing for unobstructed views of the landscape without the need for supports. This flexibility ensures that the spaces can adapt to future uses and occupants.

On the lower level, the home features spaces dedicated to physical well-being, including a swimming pool, gym, and other complementary areas, all illuminated by a skylight. Each volume is defined by rounded edges, adding a dynamic visual quality. These curved elements are incorporated into the open terrace areas, facilitating construction while ensuring that all interiors remain orthogonal.

 

 

Material Palette & Lighting

The project’s material palette utilizes a wide spectrum of whites with warm undertones. These range from Colmenar’s natural stone to the ash wood found in Madrid’s forests, as well as various shades of brass close to RAL 9016 and lighting temperatures around 2,700K. The goal was to achieve an integrated heterogeneity that would promote a sense of calm within the home’s spaces.

 

 

Design Philosophy

Inspired by Andreu Alfaro’s work, the main section of the house becomes a continuous journey, where the swimming pool flows into the terrace, which then integrates with the facades of the built volumes, ultimately closing the loop back to the pool. This design highlights one of the residence’s key functions: to be appreciated not only as a space to inhabit but as a structure to be observed and experienced.