Marshrabiya House

Mashrabiya House

Miami Beach, Florida | design 2016

This waterfront home is built upon a notion of the screen and screening system as used traditionally in warm climes like Morocco, Egypt and Spain. Mashrabiya, a type of open
latticework built of wood, inspired the specific character and use of the screens. Used in connection with glass, or open to allow breezes to flow in and out, these screens
promote a veiled, spatially layered yet still transparent architecture. The use of these screens connects to South Florida’s long history of association with Mediterranean
architecture.

The House of Screens was designed for a large multi-generational family. It occupies an ample yet constrained waterfront lot in Miami Beach. The house is developed in
depth as a series of patios that divide three main wings, each with a specfic function. The patios are connected on the ground level by breezeways so that the whole house
ventilates from the street to the water. On the home’s upper level, the Mashrabiya screens mediate privacy between public and private areas, and shield the various
parts of the house that surround its open courtyards. The screens are in some cases fixed, in other cases mobile. Variations in transparency allow for specific levels of
privacy throughout the house.