SAOTA introduced Lagoon Villa, an extraordinary architectural residence that seamlessly blends the vibrancy of Abidjan’s cityscape with the serene beauty of the Ébrié Lagoon. With interior design by Claude Missir, the villa epitomises modernist architecture while embracing the natural environment. 

The design creates a unique dialogue between indoor and outdoor spaces, thanks to its innovative features like a permeable roof with skylights and tiered courtyards. These elements blur the lines between nature and living space, enhancing the home's connection to the lagoon and surrounding park-like garden. 

The design was heavily influenced by the client's desire to enhance the home's connection to the lagoon and its surrounding environment. Among its most distinctive features is the permeable roof, composed of concrete beams and skylights that allow natural light to sift through, mimicking the effect of sunlight filtering through tree leaves. This architectural feature, combined with the villa’s tiered courtyards, effectively softens the distinction between the villa’s interior and the outdoors, underscoring SAOTA’s commitment to integrating the landscape into their designs. Its setting in a park-like garden reinforces this integration.

In response to the tropical climate of West Africa, SAOTA’s architectural design incorporates substantial overhangs that provide ample shade and broad sliding doors that merge indoor spaces with the outdoors, inviting the natural landscape into the living areas. This openness is carefully balanced with cooler, shaded interiors that offer a respite from the tropical heat while maintaining a connection with the outdoors.

The villa’s cleverly crafted transitional spaces are designed to blur the distinctions between indoors and outdoors, offering protection from and engagement with the natural element. These features are not only aesthetically appealing but also promote environmental sustainability. The design of the villa fosters natural ventilation, minimising the reliance on artificial cooling, and the strategic utilisation of natural lighting enhances the warmth and ambiance of the living spaces.

Claude Missir, overseeing the interior design, has infused the spaces with a refined practicality and a distinctive soulfulness, evident throughout Lagoon Villa. The synergistic collaboration between SAOTA’s architecture and Missir’s interior design results in a residence that feels exceptionally cohesive and harmonious, where every detail and element work together.

“The indoor colours were taken from the surrounding landscape, so it feels as if the inside and outside merged in a natural way. When you open yourself to new challenges and ideas, daring colours, forms and materials then the outcome will often surprise you!”

Claude Missir

The choice of materials like exposed concrete, flamed granite, and glass offers durability and aligns with the understated elegance typical of SAOTA’s projects. As a longstanding hub of architectural innovation, Abidjan continues to nurture a legacy of modernism. Lagoon Villa embodies this spirit, balancing modernism’s crisp lines and bold forms with a profound respect for the natural surroundings. Through Lagoon Villa, SAOTA and Claude Missir have crafted a modernist retreat that gracefully connects with nature, family, and the vibrant urban life of Abidjan.

Photography  Adam Letch

Interior Design Claude Missir

Architecture SAOTA