TAEP/AAP raises lighthouse-like tower above White Fortress house in Kuwait

A lighthouse-style tower protrudes above the thick white walls enclosing this beachfront house, designed by architecture studio TAEP/APP for a coastal resort in southern Kuwait.

Named White Fortress, the home is designed as a private weekend retreat on a private beach in Al Khiran Pearl City – a mega-development built around man-made canals with 340 kilometres of artificial coast.

The home is named after its rampart-like concrete and brick walls, designed by TAEP/APP to withstand the harsh desert climate.

These walls define a series of low-slung buildings following a linear plan towards the sea, interspersed with oval patios, courtyards and a large central "oasis" planted with tall palm trees.

According to TAEP/APP partner Rui Vargas, the design references traditional Kuwaiti courtyard houses that once were the dominant architectural style but have been replaced with more modern typologies following the country's construction boom.

"Our proposal revives the courtyard house concept, integrating a central courtyard that provides natural light and ventilation and re-establishing the connection to the outside environment," Vargas told Dezeen.

White Fortress's layout is divided into distinct zones. A large courtyard in the centre of the plan acts as a "spatial anchor" connecting its social spaces, including the dining room and library, with a more public area known as the "diwania" – a traditional space where people gather to converse, discuss politics, or share news.

To the east of the site, the courtyard closest to the sea is the most private zone where the house's three bedrooms are located.

Rising above the central oasis is a tall cylindrical tower, described by the studio as a "lighthouse", punctuated with oval-shaped windows. It houses an office on the first floor, and access to a large terrace with panoramic views of the Gulf and the surrounding desert.

The second floor of the lookout houses a prayer space oriented toward the qibla, the direction of the sacred shrine of the Kaaba in Mecca.

"The tower's form, though striking, remains modest in its presence and ensures its role as a quiet refuge and workspace takes precedence," said Vargas.

White Fortress has a concrete and brick framework, with materials chosen for their accessibility, cost-effectiveness and structural resilience. In some areas, the concrete is left exposed to provide a canvas for a "refined interior aesthetic".

To help spaces remain comfortable, even in the heat, planted areas and architectural elements such as overhangs have been incorporated into the design.

Inside White Fortress, the interiors aim to celebrate craftsmanship, with handcrafted finishes including ceramic and terracotta tiles and traditional terrazzo flooring.

At the waterfront, the home extends onto a private beach, with a partially covered paved area that overlooks the Gulf and nearby dunes.

Located an hour's drive south of Kuwait City, Al Khiran Pearl City is a 100,000-home development originally masterplanned by the UAE office of British engineering firm Buro Happold in 1987 and being built out in phases.

Other seaside houses recently featured on Dezeen include a multigenerational living space in the Hamptons and a house comprising stacked geometric volumes in Scotland.

The photography is by Fernando Guerra | FG+SG.

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