Sana'a Terraces is a mix of estate and terraced villas, townhouses, and apartments catering to foreign diplomats, expatriate Yemenis, and local residents. ACHA was invited to design the terraced villa. The site has a commanding view of the entire city of Sana'a, with striking vistas and mountainous landscape features. The topography presented a challenge with slopes in excess of 20% covering a majority of site as well as a host of ravines, peaks and rock formations throughout. Within this landscape, ACHA was able to configure the house and the cluster of houses in close proximity to one another to capture the prevailing breezes, and create shadows to protect the houses from the intense sunlight.

The villas are arranged in clusters of four, each cluster sharing a common cul-de-sac. Each plot is approximately 550sm, and each villas is 525sm with two stories and four bedrooms plus a roof top garden with a covered outdoor room. Two villa types were designed, each using the same L-shaped configuration. One was arranged to accommodate more traditional Yemeni households, while the other was for households of a more European culture.

The design uses local and readily available materials that are familiar to the Sana’a craftsmen.