In hot climates, water is more than a feature. It is a presence. A way to cool, to soften and to slow down a space. Across the Gulf, where sunlight is constant and temperatures rise quickly, water has long shaped how buildings feel and how comfort is created.   For our studio, water is not an add-on. It is part of the architecture. It defines movement, anchors courtyards and transforms outdoor areas into calm, inhabitable spaces throughout the year.   “Water has an emotional dimension. It changes how people breathe and behave,” says Lee Nellis, Principal Architect. “A well designed pool or rill is not decoration. It is atmosphere.”  

Where Water Becomes a Retreat

  In residential projects across the Gulf, water is often the first signal of arrival. Still, reflecting surfaces create a sense of pause. Infinity edges extend the horizon. Courtyard pools cool the air before it enters the home.   Common elements include:

• Infinity pools that merge sky and water
• Reflecting pools that amplify architecture through light
• Shallow water courts placed beneath shaded terraces
• Semi covered lounges that feel cool even at midday

  These layers create a transition between interior and exterior that feels effortless and serene. “Shallow water slows the heat around it. You can feel the temperature shift even before the breezes begin,” says Margaret Pluta, Landscape Architect. “It is one of the simplest and most effective forms of passive cooling.”  

Rills and Water Channels

  In the Gulf, narrow water channels known historically as falaj were used to move water through courtyards and gardens. Their scale and sound brought comfort in extreme heat.   Modern interpretations use:

• Slim rills cut into stone or limestone paving
• Gentle gradients that create soft, continuous movement
• Shallow channels for safety and clarity
• Edges detailed in granite or travertine

  The sound of trickling water enhances the thermal comfort of shaded walkways, colonnades and semi outdoor rooms.   Margaret explains, “Rills guide the eye, guide airflow and guide the experience of walking. They bring movement into otherwise still spaces.”  

Water Walls and Vertical Cooling

  Water walls provide cooling in a different way. Their vertical surface allows water to evaporate as it moves downward, creating a thin cool layer of air around them.   Benefits include:

• Reducing ambient courtyard temperature
• Enhancing privacy through sound masking
• Acting as a reflective backdrop for landscape
• Moistening dry air in shaded areas

  For enclosed courtyards or narrow outdoor corridors, they offer comfort without mechanical intervention.  

Thermal Comfort and Passive Cooling

  Good environmental design always begins with temperature. In the Gulf, this is directly tied to shade, wind movement and water.   Our approach integrates:

• Water bodies placed in shaded or transitional zones
• Evaporative cooling around shallow pools
• Orientation that directs breezes across water surfaces
• Covered walkways that maintain consistent shade
• Limestone, granite and natural stone for thermal stability

  “You can design comfort without relying entirely on mechanical cooling,” says Quinton Murdoch, Associate Architect. “Water, shade and material selection already do half the work when combined correctly.”   This allows homes to feel naturally cool and visually calm, even at peak temperatures.  

Case Study: Miraia

      Miraia sits on the edge of the Gulf as a home shaped by light, reflection and the calming presence of water. Across its terraces and sunken courtyard, water is not a backdrop. It is part of the architectural rhythm, guiding how the home is experienced from the moment you arrive.   From the earliest sketches, the team understood that water would be central to creating the softness and decompression the client hoped for. As you move through the entrance, shallow reflective surfaces sit beneath shaded walkways, cooling the air before it reaches the interior. The sunken courtyard forms the emotional centre of the home, where water, planting and filtered light meet in a quiet, consistent rhythm.   “Water guided the flow of the entire house,” says Lee Nellis, Principal Architect. “It allowed us to create a sense of tranquillity even in the hottest months. The goal was for the architecture to feel like it was breathing.”   Rills cut through limestone and travertine connect the main terrace to the courtyard below. Their scale is small enough to feel intimate but long enough to carry movement through the entire ground floor. The sound is soft and constant, creating a cooling psychological effect that complements the physical temperature drop around the shaded areas.   The upper levels frame the water below, allowing the reflecting surfaces to bounce daylight deep into the living spaces. This creates shifting patterns of light that change with the time of day, adding to the home’s sense of calm. In a region where heat can often dictate how spaces are used, Miraia’s water-led layout allows outdoor terraces and semi covered zones to remain comfortable long after midday.   “Every level has a relationship to water,” says Quinton Murdoch, Associate Architect. “It is either seen, heard or felt. That continuity ties the entire building together.”   The landscaping reinforces this experience. Lush planting surrounds the pool and courtyard edges, softening glare and providing additional evaporative cooling. Margaret Pluta’s planting strategy focused on species that thrive in coastal environments, maintaining comfort while keeping the home visually grounded in its setting.   In Miraia, water is not a decorative luxury. It is a tool of climate, comfort and emotion. A quiet mediator between architecture and environment. A presence that turns a large villa into a place of refuge. Miraia shows what is possible when water becomes part of the architectural structure itself, not something added at the end. It stands as one of the clearest expressions of our studio’s belief that the best homes are not only seen, they are felt.