Like a giant rock nestled into the hillside above Jebaa, Lebanon, this proposed weekend retreat for a travelling businessman feels both futuristic and primitive. An isolated place for contemplation, the two-level house has venting at front and rear, rainwater collection, and an open terrace oriented west toward the Mediterranean. A stone staircase leads through the cracked roof and up the hill to the prayer hall, a diagonal shaft oriented toward Mecca, carved into the hill to offer an unadorned, light-filled vertical space for solitary religious communion. mz-architects.com

Location: Jebaa, Lebanon
Firm: MZ Architects, Kaslik, Lebanon
Architect: Marwan Zgheib