THE AL RAYYAN GARDEN ROOM

BRIEF

A multi-generational compound in Al Rayyan. The garden wing had been half-finished for years — stud walls, a dropped ceiling, a floor nobody had laid. Three generations wanted to use one room, at different hours, for very different things.

DESIGN RESPONSE

Deep green panelling and mirrored bays give the room the manners of the house rather than of a gym. Equipment is arranged in a loose circuit rather than in ranks, so a grandmother walking and a son rowing do not share a sightline. The garden was brought to the glass so the room always has somewhere to look.

OUTCOME

165 SQM in six months. All three generations use it daily — which was the brief, and is harder than it sounds.