Villa 19 is informed by humble seaside tradition, enriched by natural materiality and inspired by contemporary summer living. A two-bedroom beach hut located at Karachi’s bustling French Beach, it is crafted out of the elements – light, air and earth manifesting into tones, textures and forms.

Every project starts with a conversation, the formulation of a concept, a seed. In our case, the “seed” had matured quite literally into a contorted, weather-beaten Keekar tree situated just outside the parameter of the site. The impulse to reclaim the tree became the impetus to our planning. By introducing an entry courtyard to surround and engulf the tree, we reoriented the approach to the hut, creating both a secluded entry, and also an uninterrupted facade, that like a silent monk, reveals nothing of what lies beyond.

The shaded entry courtyard becomes the first welcoming gesture, a transition space between the outside realm and the internal world of the hut. Moving through one enters into a large and layered space, oriented around a second slightly sunken courtyard enclosed on one side by a breeze block wall. A small built-in kitchen with a wooden table with benches fit out the front end of the courtyard, a guest toilet and changing room to the side, followed by the second bedroom. The more public second room looks onto the sea; a large picturesque window maximises on a framed view of the waves. A wall of folding doors divides the inside from the exterior space.