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Project Brief

Set on Hayat Island, the project called for a balance between density and openness — a performance-driven design that unites architecture and landscape.

The challenge was to create a beachfront residential landmark that embodies coastal living while ensuring every unit enjoys panoramic sea views.

Inspired by the rhythm and calm of the shoreline, XYZ Designers shaped Porto Playa as a living extension of the sea. Using Dynamo’s computational tools, the team developed a view-optimization process that defined the project’s massing and orientation, ensuring every residence opens to the horizon and natural light.​Five interwoven volumes rise in terraced layers that echo the movement of waves, while a central void opens the architecture to air, light, and motion. Warm, tactile interiors in sand and wood tones extend the sense of coastal serenity — a seamless dialogue between nature, technology, and design.​

Project Info

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Design Development

From contextual studies to computational modeling, the design evolved through an analytical yet poetic process. ​

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The project is raised on a podium housing parking and amenities, with residences above, enhancing upper-level views and offering glimpses of the sea from the lobby.

Layered terraces cascade like gentle waves, unfolding into outdoor spaces that capture the sea's rhythm and embrace Hayat Island's coastal landscape.

Cantilevered terraces shade the building and reduce solar gain, making environmental performance part of the architecture.

"XYZ Designers shaped Porto Playa around the rhythm of the waves, using form, terraces, and computational tools to maximize views, light, and spatial quality - creating spaces that enrich the everyday life of residents."

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team

  • Team

    • Khaled Alshamaa

      Founder & Principal

    • Hamdi Adam

      Founder & Managing Director

    • Ahmad Feras Arar

      Head of Project Management Unit

    • Angela Abelgas

      Assistant Project Manager

    • Khalid Telfah

      Associate Senior Architect

    • Tarek Daker

      ID Director / AWD - Founder & Director

    • Fadi Bitar

      AWD - Interior Design Manager

    • Sohaila Elazhary

      AWD - BIM Technical Project Lead

    • Samar Dahdouh

      AWD - Conceptual Lead / Managing Partner

    • Ammar Faroug Mohamed

      BIM Manager

    • Ahmed Hosieny

      Technical Manager

    • Khaled Ismael

      MEP Manager

    • Myca Yutuc

      AWD - FF & E Manager

    • Alaa Halabi

      AWD - Interior Designer

    • Mohab Yassin Mohamed Yassin

      Associate Technical Design Manager

    • Ahmed Hammad Hammad Ali Easa

      Senior Technical Architect

    • Adel Maarouf

      Technical Architect

    • MHD Wael Jalaleddin

      Planning Manager

  • Sub-consultants

    • Next Engineering

      MEP ,STR & Architectural

    • Next Engineering

      Enabling work

    • Planerr

      Landscape Design

    • Cundall

      Acoustic

    • Osool

      FLS

    • Signage

      Limah

    • Cost

      HQS

    • TIS

      VNC

    • Soil Investigation_Gecons

      Foundation / Al Mamaas

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