Cairo-Based Amazinglab Designs a Coastal Home Around Its Circular Pool

The pull of Egypt's North Coast is alluring to many, with the destination inspiring popular images of long summer afternoons by the pool. For Amro Hosny of Amazinglab, this became the starting point for a house shaped around that very image.

Located on the Mediterranean edge of Almaza, the project was designed for a family looking to bring their everyday life out of Cairo. The aim was to create a home that could hold their daily routines throughout the year while maintaining a sense of permanence by the sea. Material choices follow this thinking, with wood anchoring the interior, chosen for its texture and the way it wears over time. Finishes are kept simple, allowing tone and grain to come through, while subtle accents of blue appear across the house. Floor tiling adds another layer of variation, introducing rhythm underfoot without drawing attention.

The layout responds to the size of the family, allowing spaces to shift between shared use and quieter moments. Circulation links interior and exterior areas so the house functions comfortably across different seasons. “Originality is about interpretation," Hosny explains. "We begin by understanding how the client lives and what resonates with them, then layer that understanding with our perspective to create something entirely their own.”

At the centre of the plan, the pool reflects this approach. With many children in the family, safety was considered early on, leading to a solution defined by changes in level. Raised by three shallow steps, it introduces a gradual transition that guides movement while keeping the space open. Its circular form sits partly within the terrace and partly within the hardscape, preserving more room around it for play and gathering.

This circular shape sets the tone for the house. “The pool wasn’t just a feature, it became the guiding shape for the architecture,” Hosny says. “The curve appears again in the pergola’s edge, the rounding of doors and windows, and the rhythm of the fence. It’s repeated subtly so you sense it in how the house flows.”

As the day moves, light follows these lines, tracing arcs across walls and ground. “In The Long Afternoon, the circle reflects the sun itself. As the light shifts, shadows can be seen lengthening across surfaces and dissolving by evening,” he adds. Openings frame the landscape and allow light and air to move freely, while rooms extend onto terraces, supporting daily life that moves naturally between inside and out.