The Desert Rose architectural coherence is centred around a balance of simple and essential design principals that promote autonomy for the occupants, so that they remain empowered and comfortable within their own home creating “A House for Life”. This is achieved through:

• Providing minimal transitions within the house, relying on subtle changes in colour, furniture style, and an open plan construction that allows the occupants to move easily between different rooms within the house. This is incorporated through the principle of line of sight, with the most important utilities of the home visible from the main space including access to food, water, and amenities.
• The interior open-plan design complements the privacy zones of the house and smooths the transition between rooms by providing visually intriguing environments with colour palettes and furniture choices that do not over stimulate.
• Flexibility of space is also achieved by multi-purpose rooms, with opportunities to decorate and utilise space as desired.
• There are no steps or thresholds in the house, eliminating potential trip hazards and favouring smooth transitions between interior and exterior spaces for someone living in a wheelchair or with low mobility.
• Adaptability in design is also reinforced by additional support noggins installed in every wall of the house, allowing for direct handrail installation when needed, creating a living space that can change and evolve over time, like the lives of the occupants.

 

The interior design, therefore, merges to a unified whole with the architecture of the house, creating a welcoming and healthy living space.

Biophilic design is further established by the defined connection of nature between internal and external zones, with plant life and natural light increasing the wellbeing of the occupants of the house. The landscaping around the Desert Rose has been designed to complement the house, using colours and features that continue the internal design concepts to the external environment. Plants native to the UAEthat will appeal to those living in the region have been chosen, creating a feeling of familiarity and a connection to home. This supports the idea of a house for life, where the house itself lives through the plants surrounding it. A clear path delivers the occupant down the back ramp of the house into the landscaped area, providing them with a serene space that they can walk around, before being directed back to the front door. Occupants are never far from nature, with the courtyard and back deck providing private green spaces for relaxation.

The Desert Rose’s flexibility is also demonstrated from an overall design perspective, with the house designed and built to fit within a village arrangement as well as perform as a single living unit. This is achieved with no openings placed on either western or eastern sides of the house, allowing for the house to be potentially built in a side-by-side arrangement within a bigger village, where these walls would be shared with the neighbouring buildings. In an Australian context, this feature would allow the occupants to be part of a bigger community and contribute to a healthier, safer and more open environment for someone living with dementia.

At the same time, the second-skin wall allows for appropriate privacy, and increases the energy efficiency and architectural visual appeal of the house, remaining coherent with the vernacular architecture of the Middle East Middle Eastern residential features.