Modular Villages

Common to desert regions, wadis are characterized by dry riverbeds and valleys that fill with water during infrequent rain events. Their unique conditions present construction challenges, among them: flood risk, unstable soil, and limited resources. In flatter coastal areas, factors like corrosion, humidity, and shifting sands add a different type of complexity. LAVA’s master plan for a network of modular villages in such areas addresses these issues, transforming the limitations of the landscape into opportunities for more resilient and communal ways of living.

The design employs a “vein network model,” a typology that draws from nature to create sustainable communities in areas with complex geography. This model replaces a centralized city with a system of decentralized villages that integrate into the surrounding landscape. Each village functions autonomously while remaining interconnected through mobility pathways that facilitate the flow of people, technology, and resources. The communities will generate energy, harvest rainwater, treat waste and wastewater, and use the byproducts to cultivate crops. By utilizing local resources and sharing surplus within the network, the villages will achieve high self-sufficiency and reduced reliance on external systems, promoting a circular economy.

LAVA’s design uses modular units or “voxels” that can be easily assembled, disassembled, and rearranged so that buildings and villages can adapt to changing community needs. While the initial focus of the project was to create vibrant villages in tourist regions for the purpose of housing staff and their families, LAVA’s master plan allows this network of communities to move beyond function to become destinations in their own right. Lukas Kronawitter, architect and urban design director at LAVA, emphasizes the importance of such dynamism in contemporary placemaking: “How do you create resilient communities? By designing a system that ensures a good quality of life while remaining capable of change. We’re not planning for a fixed point in time; we’re creating a framework for continued growth and evolution.”

The modular system enables each village to follow the contours of the land, working with the topography rather than against it. “It’s not block housing, and it’s not a uniform grid,” explains Kronawitter, “it’s a series of villages terraced into the landscape that will grow organically; the location is crucial to the experience of living there.” The villages are designed to embrace the natural rhythms of the environment while preserving its character for residents to enjoy through various activities: hiking, rock climbing, stargazing, or simply appreciating the ever-changing beauty of nature from the comfort of home.

Density planning was informed by insights from both social and physical sciences—particularly the work of anthropologist Robin Dunbar, who proposed that humans can maintain around 150 meaningful connections. Inspired by this concept, the villages are organized in clusters of ‘Dunbar’s number’ to ensure substantial social bonds among residents. As these clusters merge, they form neighborhoods with essential amenities close to hand, creating “5-minute cities,” a concept also employed by LAVA in the master plan for an uptown city extension in a desert climate. These neighborhoods connect through a series of smaller plazas, ‘cool routes’ of green, and a central corridor that functions as both a commuting hub and a city park. Designed for evolution, public spaces of varying scales accommodate the needs of a diverse and growing community, enabling neighborhoods to expand and merge naturally.