Mr.Hakim Rizwan Residence By DB Studios

Overview

This 30×80 site located in the rather older sectors of Islamabad had a challenging setting. Its 16ft narrow street lies between attached houses on both sides. Because of the local building bylaws, there is absolutely no breathing space between these houses. In addition to that, the surrounding houses built on small lots are architecturally unpleasant, laid out and built by construction contractors hired directly to meet the accommodation needs of the owners, without any underlying design philosophy, professional architectural or community concerns.

Fortunately, this street like many others in the capital city enjoys a healthy set of trees on both sides creating a natural visual barrier from the noisy built environment.

The client- Hakeem Rizwan Hafeez is a Prominent medical Researcher and practitioner and being at the top of his field, holds a celebrity status.

Fascinated with another project done by DB studios, Rizwan engaged the design team for his own family residence, adjacent to his late mother’s house. The family required a design, which could fit in their extensive requirements ranging from formal, living to entertainment spaces in a modern contemporary backdrop without compromising on openness, comfort and functionality. To keep himself in a close proximity with her mother, Rizwan also wanted to keep the provision of connectivity with his mother’s already built house.

The design team’s first challenge was to distribute ample natural light throughout the house on all floors as the site was completely blocked from both sides. Two skylights were planned and aligned smartly with floor voids in such a way that all floors including the basement experience plenty of daylight.

The internal planning is kept introverted. The circulation and common spaces are connected visually between floors through voids also working as light wells in the day time. A well-placed metal bridge connects the bedrooms with a cozy sitting area on the upper floor.

The triple height space in the interior is interspersed randomly at different levels with wooden planters and its most attractive feature of the house- The Internal Patio. This cozy glass-covered patio serves as a focal point as it is pleasantly visible from almost all common areas of the house. All these wooden planters and this internal green patio work as a wonderful compensation for the lack of greenery in the house.

All Family living areas enjoy patio views in the rear and the front. The bedrooms in the front enjoy the peaceful view of the old tree through cleverly placed windows, while the high metal railing on the front terrace helps in maintaining a subtle privacy level from the road.

Studying the context thoroughly, the design team had a very clear intent regarding the facade of the house. By composing just a terrace on a basic mass, the designers were careful not to present a very loud or a dynamic statement. The idea was to keep a clean and subdued facade presenting a visual relief to the passers-by rather than adding to the prevalent visual noise.

With a simple subdued facade, logical response to the site context and brilliant handling of the interior space, this modern house proves to be a strong architectural statement.

About The Client

The client- Mr. Hakeem Rizwan Hafeez, Recipient of Sitara-e Imtiaz and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz is a Prominent medical Researcher and a former President and Administrator of National Council for TIBB, Ministry of Health.

Being at the top of his field, he holds a celebrity status and his interviews are aired on prominent local and international media.

A couple of years back, Impressed with another project done by DB studios in Islamabad, Rizwan engaged the design team for his own family residence in sector G-6, adjacent to his late mother’s house.

Rizwan wished for a cozy house to accommodate the extensive needs of his family, highlighting his focus on openness and functionality in a contemporary setting.

Undeniably this project’s success lies in his continuous patronage throughout.

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