Selected work / Residential refurbishment

House Juliana

Lekki, Lagos

Original 2015 · Revisited 2026

Architecture + Interiors + Landscape

Proposed garden elevation and pool at House Juliana

Designed once. Still learning.

01 / Returning to our own work

Ten years later, the house had a few things to tell us.

Studio 3XL originally designed House Juliana in 2015 as one half of a four-bedroom semi-detached pair in Lekky County Homes. Its pitched forms and central atrium gave the home a distinct identity and a clear circulation heart.

A decade of real life became the most useful design review possible. When the client invited us back, the brief was no longer simply to refresh the house—it was to learn from how it performed, then make its next chapter cooler, more open and more connected to the garden.

The first chapter

The house we designed in 2015.

Original 2015 front elevation of House Juliana — Original house · Front elevation

Original 2015 side elevation of House Juliana — Original house · Garden-side elevation

02 / Learning from use

A decade of living became the brief.

Heat gain

The original roof and darker external finishes absorbed too much of the Lagos sun.

Airflow

Limited cross-ventilation made the interiors work harder than they needed to.

Humidity

Trapped warm air contributed to damp and mould, affecting comfort and finishes.

Garden life

The garden could only be reached through the kitchen, leaving it detached from everyday family life.

Sectional and axonometric analysis of heat, airflow and the isolated garden — Existing condition · Heat, airflow and an isolated garden

Sectional and axonometric strategy for passive cooling and garden connection — Design strategy · Passive cooling and a connected garden

03 / Climate strategy

A cooler section, from roof to garden.

An insulated and ventilated roof reduces heat gain. Enlarged openings encourage cross-breezes. Lighter external finishes, deep shade and dense tropical planting temper the building before the air reaches the rooms.

Detailed section through House Juliana showing roof, ventilation, living-room and garden interventions — Sectional strategy · Roof performance, open living and a planted microclimate

04 / Spatial strategy

Open the plan. Let the garden in.

The ground floor is reconfigured as a more generous family landscape. Living, dining and outdoor rooms now form one sequence, with the central atrium retained as the organising heart and the garden promoted from leftover space to everyday room.