Zgharta Residence is a home located in Zgharta, Lebanon. Zgharta house sits in a Mediterranean olive grove landscape. The house negotiates conditions of inclined topography, views and privacy by massing in two L-shaped horizontal levels that follow the natural terrain: The lower level comprises bedrooms, bathrooms, and technical spaces. The upper level is dedicated to the main living space, dining, kitchen and library.
The extrusion of the two horizontal levels creates a third space, an outdoor courtyard which allows the landscape to slide throughout the house. A u-shaped stone wall wraps diagonally around the two floors, creating an intense outer edge, and a series of enclosed patios. In the lower level, the patios are a series of inner gardens that inundate the bathrooms and bedrooms with natural light. In the upper level, the patio is an open air entrance porch. In contrast, interiors are fully glazed, opening up to the privacy of the patios, courtyard and to the distant mountain views. The roof hovers over the house with large cantilevers, bringing shade and privacy to the glazed living spaces below, and blurring inside and outside spaces.
