Architect: Studio Toggle
Location: Al Bidaá, Kuwait
Year of Completion: 2020
Team: Hend Almatrouk, Gijo Paul George, Abdul Rashid, Dionne Pereira, Indu Balaram, Mani Kuruvilla, Ashlon
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Image showcasing the exterior of a Ternion house, with the added feature of a covered wall tiled entrance that provides access to the inside.

A landscape view of the front exterior of a Ternion house, which includes an open car park area.

This is a wide aerial photograph capturing the three Ternion house villas situated within the cityscape

A photograph showcasing the second level of a building, which features a cantilevered room with a large glass window.

Underneath the cantilevered room, there is a spacious area that features a medium-height glass fence.

A spacious area with open walls that can accommodate a significant number of guests.

A close-up photograph of the spacious area beneath the cantilevered room, which is enclosed by a glass fence.

Another notable feature of the house is the narrow access that features a massive wide glass wall, providing an unobstructed view of the beautiful surroundings.

There are several white doors placed on the white wall that provide access to the inside of the house.

This photograph showcases the interior of the house and features huge glass doors that allow for a clear view of the tiled wall outside and allow ample natural light to enter the space.

This photograph captures the exterior of the Ternion house, showcasing its seamless architectural monolithic design.

This photograph features the exterior of the Ternion house, highlighting the cantilevered room and the spacious open area underneath, which is enclosed with glass walls.

There is a gravel-filled space located between the blocks of the Ternion house, which is enclosed by a grilled wall.

On the first floor, there is a private enclosed in-ground pool that offers a stunning view. The upper level features a section enclosed by a glass wall fence, adding to the aesthetic appeal of the property.

A close-up photograph of the in-ground pool, where a wide glass panel is prominently visible around the corner.

Another notable feature of the property is the private indoor pool, which is surrounded by a white design that adds to the overall sense of cleanliness and modernity.

A stunning photograph of the in-ground pool, situated between massive glass walls that create a striking visual effect.

There is a small garden outside, featuring growing date trees, with a massive full-height glass window visible behind it.

The house has a notable feature, which is the presence of a revolving door.

Upon entering the house, one can observe a small vaulted ceiling that is part of the interior architectural design. The interior design is characterized by a pure white color scheme that adds to the overall aesthetic appeal of the space.

This photograph showcases the interior of the house, featuring a staircase and a wall-mounted light.

This photograph captures the interior of the house, showcasing a wooden staircase with a glass wall and wooden hand railing. The high white ceiling is also prominently visible.

Ternion is a composition of three independent villas in Kuwait. Variably stacked prismatic volumes create a porous-pixelated massing achieving a harmonious balance between the opposing ideals of privacy and community. The project encouraged the architects to rethink the modern suburban Arab residential block, usually populated with affluent independent villas.

In a society where privacy and weather become the overriding design directives, the norm in residential architecture is to create impenetrable and introverted structures that maximize the climate-controlled built-up area. The brief dictated the creation of three independent villas with private gardens and private swimming pools, that can be utilized on a year-round basis. This was particularly challenging since Kuwait is known for its arid desert climate which is one of the hottest in the world and dust storms are a regular occurrence.

While it could not be completely avoided, the architects sought to minimize the use of active climate control by employing passive cooling techniques traditionally part of the vernacular. Combining these with self-shading massing strategies gave the project the direction it needed both spatially and aesthetically. Each villa is centered on a private courtyard featuring a swimming pool as a modern functional interpretation of a traditional ‘Hosh’ with a water feature.

The social spaces are grouped around this pool and feature longitudinal full-height glazed windows facilitating cross ventilation and evaporative cooling when open. The glazed internal walls afford panoramic views to the garden and pools while shaded from the scorching sun by cantilevered volumes mitigating the heat gain. This results in a composition of variably stacked prismatic volumes creating a pixelated/porous massing that endeavors to achieve a harmonious balance between the opposing ideals of privacy and community.

The architecture of the three villas is to be read as a whole, composed of a series of hierarchical social spaces, organized based on their varying degrees of openness and privacy. These range from fully enclosed, private, and silent gardens to vast terraces, opening up to the streetscape and the vistas beyond. The inhabitable volumes are organized around these social spaces, defined by their function and need for transparency.

These monolithic volumes, by virtue of their compositions, act as frames, shields or cantilevers, providing shade from the sun, protection from the desert wind, and frames the endless views towards the sea from multiple vantage points. Usable terraces, covered porticos, hidden nooks, viewing platforms are all part of a selection of multi-use spaces generated by modulating the massing. The expressive volumes of the three villas reach out to each other creating a streamlined street interface, thereby forging a unified identity for the development.

Ternion, thus, is an experiment in modern Arabic residential architecture, that respects the privacy and exclusivity dictated by the social norms without compromising on the joys of community.