Sahel Al-Hiyari is a Jordanian architect and painter. He was trained in architecture and fine arts at the Rhode Island School of Design, and received a master's degree in urban design from Harvard University; he later undertook doctoral studies in architecture at the University of Venice. He is the principal in the architectural firm Sahel Al-Hiyari and Partners; previously, he undertook design work with Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and Partners) in Cairo, and Machado Silvetti Associates in Boston. During 2003, Mr. Al-Hiyari was the first architect honoured by the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, and thereafter worked closely with the architect Alvaro Siza in Portugal. Mr. Al-Hiyari's paintings have been exhibited in Jordan, Lebanon and Italy.
A two-storey, L-shaped residence, located in the southern part of the Jordan Valley near the client's old farm. An existing structure was renovated and a new segment added. The house contains a kitchen, bathrooms, dining and living spaces, and several bedrooms. The new addition comprises a roofed outdoor living room, which overlooks the courtyard. Its concrete columns are embedded in a cavity of cement blocked double walls, providing thermal insulation. Cost reducing measures involved using local building practices and materials such as acid-treated limestone and cement tiles.
