Architectural refurbishment – Bolifushi Owner’s Villa – 2021
A house on the edge~
“In the low, lush tropical coral islands of the Maldive Atolls, villages were located in the middle of the island… Thick coconut groves and other vegetation encircled the human settlements, so that no house would be seen from the sea. The only constructions with a ‘beach view’ would be makeshift sheds for boatbuilding or boat-repair and lonely ‘ziyaìraiy’ shrines.
…the point where a path met the beach was considered an important geographical feature in the Maldivian settlement pattern. Such points were called fannu in Divehi, and they were like the ‘gates’ or ‘mouths’ through which the village inside the island opened itself to the sea.”
Xavier Romero-Frias, ‘The Maldive Islanders’
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