DUBAI House of the Future

PREDICTING THE FUTURE of the global human community often seems to be a fool’s errand. The track record of futurism is notoriously deficient; mid-20th century prognostications of life in the early 21st century are now used mainly for generating laughter. The failure of prophecy has many roots. Forecasters often merely extrapolate existing trends, unreasonably assuming that the underlying conditions will remain stable. Wrenching discontinuities are often difficult even to imagine, yet history has been molded by their inevitable if unpredictable occurrences.

What we can definitely envision and strive towards is the idea that the FUTURISTIC HOUSE will still form part of a community or SOCIAL FABRIC. In fact, the growing popularity of shared living doesn’t just reflect pressure on urban space but also our need to BELONG. Tomorrow’s communities will be more dispersed, reflecting our global connectivity. But they will also be more local. Allotments, communal gardens, the local pub and shopping locally will all convert our neighborhoods into an extension of our homes.

The layout of the rooms, for both the ground and the first floor, is centered around the inner courtyard and social area, WHERE FAMILY LIFE TAKES PLACE. This allows for all rooms to participate to the social activities of the family, while receiving exposure to light. The first floor garden, towards the street, provides privacy and adds to the quality of the urban space. 

Living spaces are therefore heavily oriented inwards, resultng in increased PRIVACY,  COHESION and SAFETY, while eliminating any RESIDUAL SPACE.

The planimetric arrangement of the MAJLIS provides the required intimacy, while benefiting from the proximity to the kitchen area and allowing easy access for serving the guests. It is part, together with the office, washroom and kitchen, of the semi-private part of the house.