• It was the only architecture firm that picked up more than one trophy at this years ceremony.
• For the first time in the history of the awards, there was a joint Architect of the Year winner, with both Nasser Abulhasan and Joaquin Perez-Goicoechea, Principals & Founders of the firm earning this year’s title.
• AGi architects also won the Residential Project of the Year award for Scenic House, and the Boutique Firm of the Year prize which it picked up last year.
• AGi architects’ proposal for the new Qatar Courthouse in Doha city was Highly Commended.

Madrid, 1st December 2015. The international design firm AGi architects led by Joaquin Perez-Goicoechea and Nasser Abulhasan was the most successful team at the latest edition of Middle East Architect Awards (MEAA). AGi architects were awarded three prizes and Highly Commended at the gala dinner held in Dubai during the night of November 25th.

The design firm with offices in Madrid and Kuwait was honored with Residential Project of the Year award for Scenic House, and it also was category winner at the Boutique Firm of the Year award, while the Principals and Partners were awarded Architects of the Year, a joint prize for the first time in the history of the awards.

In addition, AGi architects’ proposal submitted to the restricted competition organized by the Qatar government in late 2014 -and which won the second prize of this competition- for the new Qatar Courthouse in Doha city competed at Middle East Architecture Awards in the Public Sector Project of the Year category, where it was “Highly Commended”.

Including these new MEAA, the design firm which celebrates its tenth anniversary next year collected ten awards in various categories of the Middle East Architect Awards, three of them in the Residential Project of the Year category.

According to Nasser Abulhasan, Principal and cofounder of the design firm, “the entire team of AGi architects is very pleased and proud to have been recognized with these awards that, ultimately, reward our philosophy and approach focused on research, innovation and exclusive design tailored to each project and client as a boutique design firm we are."

Scenic House

Scenic House is one of the latest designs developed by AGi architects focused on specific client needs: due to the social position of the owners, the building accommodates an extensive and complex program of approximately 8,000 m2, tailored to the different social, cultural and political activities that the family needs to fulfill.

Located on the seashore of the State of Kuwait, granting users direct access to a small, private beach; the house and its gardens open on to the sea, enjoying gorgeous views. Family areas are located inside a steel structure that hangs from a massive concrete volume that hosts the service spaces, bridging above the main garden. The most formal program is accommodated in a podium built in concrete that conforms the main entrance and street façade.

The building is arranged around two main cores, securing accessibility as well as high levels of privacy for the family, guests and service. Towards the outside the building is informed by the historical and cultural context, therefore blocking any intruder views from the street.

Middle East Architect Awards

The eighth annual Middle East Architect Awards recognized the best projects and practitioners throughout the Middle East in 2015, ranging from the world’s tallest towers to one-off villas, and veteran designers to those bright young architects just starting out.