The Golden Trezzini Spotlight: Visiting Sheikh Al-Hussein Residence
The 2026 application season starts with a bang. The 9th International Golden Trezzini Awards for Architecture and Design is proud to present the first project to successfully pass the compliance check and earn the Official Selection status. Nominated in the Best Project of Private Residence category is the Sheikh Al-Hussein Residence by E.S.M group (Ethar, Saif, and Mohammed) from Basra, Iraq. We congratulate the team of applicants on this major milestone and invite you to take a look inside an architectural vision where traditions come to life.
Resting on the banks of the Euphrates, this residence is less of a building and more of a conversation with nature. E.S.M group has achieved something rare: they have made heavy stone and timber feel like they are floating along the riverbanks. The walls are built from the very earth and palm wood they stand among, preserving the ancient warmth of Iraq while embracing a sharp, modern silhouette. It is a place of contrasts. You have the grand, open majlis spaces ready for the deep-rooted tradition of tribal gatherings, sitting right next to quiet, shaded pathways that wind through palm groves. The water surfaces in the courtyards do more than just look pretty; they work with passive cooling techniques to create a private microclimate where the desert heat simply fades away. Every breeze and every shadow here is a deliberate part of the architecture, turning a private home into a living memory of the land.
If you could trade the concrete jungle for a life dictated by the flow of the river and the rustle of palms, would this be the place where you finally find your peace?
Applications for the 9th International Golden Trezzini Awards for Architecture and Design are being accepted right now. Participation is free of charge and open to projects from all over the world. The winners will be announced on November 20, during the ceremony at the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.
The motto of the Golden Trezzini Awards is «Architecture as Art.» This is the only award in the world whose winning projects are added to a state museum collection.
