The Local House
United Arab Emirates
In 2025, Archipelago received the Innovation Award in the UAE’s highly-competitive “House of the Future” competition, which attracted entries from over 122 countries. The competition asked architects to envision an affordable, expandable, and forward-thinking home tailored to the evolving needs of Emirati families. Archipelago’s entry - The Local House - proposed a replicable model for medium-scale housing, with a focus on innovative, locally-sourced materials, future-facing environmental strategies, and a respect for local customs, heritage, and architectural traditions.
Status: Concept Design
Social spaces on the ground level are organized around a shaded central courtyard, while thick self-shading walls constructed from an innovative “red mud” geopolymer concrete help to keep the home cool.
Traditional notions of procession and privacy are interwoven with contemporary architectural forms to create comfortable spaces for daily family life.
Shaded outdoor gardens and roof terraces make full use of the small urban plot and create opportunities to enjoy the cool evenings and early mornings.
Locally abundant circular economy materials, including recycled concrete aggregate, “red mud” bauxite residue, electric arc funace slag, and date palm fibers are repurposed to create a novel set of low-cost building materials, which also give the project its unique redish hue.