The Star House by AGi Architects
Photographer Nelson Garrido has sent us photos of the Star House in Bnaider, Kuwait, that has been designed by AGi Architects.
You can also watch a video about the house – here.

.
Nestled into the landscape, this beach house blends with the natural topography of the coastline of Kuwait. It slowly unfolds itself to the visitor, as it is approached from the desert.
Upon entry, one gets glimpses of the sea whilst going down to the public space of the chalet. On this lower level, the house extends into the landscape and the sea, accentuated by an infinity pool in the garden. The private side of the house, located at the entry level, is concealed from the visitors by a bamboo wall. Bedrooms and private living spaces remain isolated from daily activities. A three-way stair, placed at the center of building, organizes the different flows of family, friends and guests.
The organizational and formal structure of the beach house is dictated by the ability to maximize views to the sea.
The initial design was master planned for three detached dwellings, each with extensive sea views while simultaneously achieving privacy from one another. The client, instead, opted for a single house, two bungalows and a boathouse, with possible plans for expansion in the future.
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
- ©Nelson Garrido
Visit the AGi Architects website – here.
Photography ©Nelson Garrido
.
.



















zachary alan on 23 Nov 2010 at 11:07 pm #
sweet crude oil….and what it can buy
BjZ on 24 Nov 2010 at 7:15 am #
The 1st and 3rd pics are awesome! But check out the floor plans. That’s one bleeping huge house!!! It’s probably the largest i’ve ever seen on Contemporist.
WOW!
Maira Evans on 24 Nov 2010 at 9:41 am #
Is this actually architecture? Merely, a vulgar display of wealth. Where are the photos of the interior, ..and that staircase…OMG it’s awful. The photographer though has done a good job. But the cars…give us a brake here, totally irrelevant. Show us some architecture to comment on guys.
DS on 24 Nov 2010 at 8:24 pm #
Maira Evans…precisely.
Great photgraphy of what looks like fairly pedestrian architecture…no interior shots, no idea of how the house functions….was this deliberate? I might guess yes as the interior is likely vulgar. As for the shots of the garage and all the toys…was that really the point of this submission?
Zee on 24 Nov 2010 at 11:44 pm #
Yes I do agree architecture (if there is any) on display is pretty mundane. BUT Since when displaying wealth has become wrong?? I smell jealousy….
Maira Evans on 25 Nov 2010 at 4:38 am #
Well, mind you, this is an architectural and design site! As DS put’s it…what’s really the point of submission?
Chris on 25 Nov 2010 at 10:04 am #
I agree with all of the above comments. Just from that one interior shot of the stairs, it looks like it will probably be a jumbled mess of superfluous materials. I personally think front facade of the house is a huge letdown too. Also, in the diagrams, the staff zone of the house is HUGE. The angles are a bit agitating too.
TW on 25 Nov 2010 at 2:43 pm #
Zee – whilst the world is recovering from massive environmental and economical catastrophes, blatant displays of wealth are in bad taste.
There are no architectural or design merits of a garage interior. It’s a stupid photo to submit.
milo on 26 Nov 2010 at 3:04 am #
Cool as! Great looking house! It looks brilliant at night!
Dan on 26 Nov 2010 at 11:29 pm #
Who needs that many cars ? Unless of cause you have a family of 20 people !
Jackie on 27 Nov 2010 at 8:26 am #
I agree…the gallery looks incomplete. While I like a clean front entrance, this is just too boring. And that is one ugly staircase…
Kahn on 28 Nov 2010 at 4:33 pm #
Yes, it’s a big house, but don’t shot the architect for this!
looks decent.
Everywhere in the world it is difficult to design for rich people, because in most cases you have to deal with megalomania, bad taste and dictatorial attitudes. And I believe that here it was the same situation (did you think that maybe that “stupid photo” of the garage – which obviously has nothing to do with the house – was submitted, in fact, as a “key” for us to understand the context?)
So, in this context (but not only!) I think that the architect has done a very good job, keeping the supposed opulence (if any) inside and offering to exterior some simple, modern volumes. Maybe the plans could seem strange, but they have their logic in orienting the rooms to the landscape and have a result in some interesting forms (pics 2,4 and 5).
No interior images (except that indeed ugly stair), but what can be seen through windows (pics 7 and
Overall, a good house. Not “great”, but certainly not deserving so bad criticism.
Ricardo de A on 03 Dec 2010 at 6:28 pm #
Well of course that they could have built something better…there’s always something better!… but i like the views toward the water, while the facade keeps the interiors with all the privacy needed… i agree that the area of service is HUGE, but c’mon how many people they need to keep a house like that!… the pool is nice, the stair more than ugly is quite un-practical. Given the space of this “house” is more like a suites resort or something.