A majority of architecture that one comes across is most evidently defined either by its silhouettes or by ornamental and structural features made apparent in a brazen manner. While geometric jaalis, intricately chiselled pediments, the girth of columns and the shape of arches typically typify structures, their internal plans seldom come under the definitive features attributed to the multitude of architectural styles periodically developed and identified. Floor plans are, rather, studied in tandem with the shift in the spatial proportion of private and semi-private spaces. They are analysed to understand the effect of increasing land and property prices and the impact of evolving societies. At times, these studies help delineate and understand cultural and regional practices from yesteryear or are used to demarcate the contrast between urban and rural residences. However, the different types and styles of floor plans are, perhaps, the least discussed entities when studying the history of architecture.

Perhaps, the reason for such neglect is a simple case of ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ When inner configurations lend little or nothing towards the form of the overall structure, the individual presence of bedrooms, living areas, ancillary spaces and kitchens will inevitably be forgotten. Such ignorance is paramount in contemporary residences that remain unyielding in the absence of courtyards and verandahs.

A rare contemporary residential design, Villa Mondoukou in Ivory Coast (a country in West Africa) seeks to subvert this tendency of situating all kinds of spaces within an abstractly shaped box. It features a courtyard—the design of which sits in dissonance with many commonly found courtyard designs. Around this courtyard, the architects, namely Remy Aznar and William Tailly of Aznar + Tailly, have arranged independent rooms, structured in the form of pavilions and stationed them at a little offset from each other. The result is a series of partially covered paths (voids) that weave around the different rooms (solids), hence resulting in a morphology where the placement of different spaces can be identified from the overall form of the structure.

Aznar + Tailly, founded by Remy Aznar and William Tailly in 2022, operates between Paris, France and Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Africa. The design firm defines its practice as ‘a design laboratory and architecture office.’ Aznar and Tailly are guided by a strong inclination to design in tandem with a structure’s natural surroundings. “The spatial sequences are an essential part of architecture,” Aznar shares. “We make architecture like a novel, where each space is a new experience, and each design marks a new chapter,” Aznar and Tailly add.

Their residence design, Villa Mondoukou, located in the province of Mondoukou, which is situated a hundred kilometres from Abidjan in Ivory Coast, is spread across an area of 275 square metres. The holiday home, designed for a couple, is surrounded by vast palm trees and stands in close proximity to the Gulf of Guinea’s beach. “The brief of the house was to create several independent rooms,” Aznar shares, delineating their client’s simple requirement for the private residence. Villa Mondoukou, designed in the form of a series of pavilions integrated with ample gaps and voids, is a house that welcomes natural vicinal constituents indoors.

The winning feature of the structure is the centrally located tropical rock garden. "The form of Villa Mondoukou is inspired by the idea of creating an interior garden that can bring tropical rain inside the house,” the architect shares. A bamboo roof, crafted by traditional workers near Assinie, Ivory Coast, cloisters the courtyard. In using bamboo battens in place of a solid roof, the architects managed to shade the area using a light material. The roof permits the flow of wind with ease, while also blocking the view of the outdoors only slightly. The bamboo construction successfully manages to shade the edges of the garden in order to help create a shaded walkway during rainy or sunny days. The bamboo structure also shields the two bedrooms stationed on the ground floor.

All the walls in the house are made of earth and limestone, and finished with moire. “Low-cost materials such as earth, lime, and bamboo, skillfully crafted by local artisans, were used in the construction of this house. The varying shades of earth and lime serve as the only ornamentation of the house," Aznar remarks. While the earth and bamboo used for construction were obtained from and around the site, concrete blocks and metal were brought in from farther away in the country. On being asked about the usage of moire to finish the walls, Aznar shares, “It is used as ornamentation. For me, it can change our approach to the diversity of a mono material facade. It's like using marble. Each face of the facade has a different tint of orange / brown earth. It was really important for us to show all the different colours that this material can produce, in one way.”

Apart from the usage of novel materials and crafting techniques, as well as the integration of innovative design elements, the experience of living in the courtyard house is enhanced with the play of levels. The different levels are added across the residence in order to demarcate the different spaces it hosts. One enters the house crossing a raised slab placed between two walls. This leads up to the living room, kitchen and dining area (all arranged in close proximity to each other) situated on the same level, and leading the way to the cloistered courtyard. Three steps down and one reaches the open-to-sky rock installation placed in the central area of the courtyard. Two independent bedrooms, placed on opposite sides of the courtyard, require one to take a step up from the cloistered pathway. The master bedroom, on the other hand, is located on the upper floor, situated above the living room. A staircase next to the main entrance leads up to the penthouse, on the left side of which is the bedroom (offering a peek into the inner courtyard) and on the right side is a ‘tropical bathroom’ offering views to the sea.

In a way, Aznar + Tailly manages to integrate Villa Mondoukou with gaps and voids in a passionate and consistent litany. These apertures help its residents stay in touch with the surrounding landscape, while also constantly existing in the midst of constructions that present the image of natural materials in their rawest and most alluring state.

Project Details

Name: Villa Mondoukou
Location: Mondoukou, Ivory Coast
Area: 275 square metres
Year of completion: 2023
Architect: Aznar + Tailly