Conceived as an adaptive reuse project, Jummar is a cultural and hospitality destination designed by Lahim, located within a 24,000-square-metre farm on the outskirts of Buraydah in Saudi Arabia’s Qassim region. Once a family home that stood abandoned for nearly a decade, the concrete house sat quietly on the edge of a palm grove, its walls bearing the marks of time and memory. The ambition for Jummar is to breathe new life into this dormant structure, transforming it into a gathering place where heritage and contemporary design intertwine, and where the story of the date palm, the symbol of Qassim’s landscape, finds architectural expression.

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The project began with a careful study of the site’s layers: the farmstead’s agricultural fabric, the materiality of the old house, and the cultural symbolism of the palm. Inspired by the “jummar,” the heart of the palm tree, Lahim translated its essence into a design language of light, texture, and renewal. The existing shell was reimagined with a new envelope of soft tones and perforations that filter daylight and create rhythm, while the interiors were reconfigured into a tea house and eatery that invite both intimacy and community. Shaded gardens, walkways, and rooftop terraces extend the experience outward, weaving building and farm into one continuous environment.

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Respecting the natural context, the design integrates passive cooling strategies, natural ventilation, and materials rooted in the region’s palette to ensure sustainability and comfort. The project unfolds as a sequence of spaces for arrival, gathering, dining, and retreat, culminating in moments where architecture recedes and the agricultural landscape becomes the protagonist. In reinterpreting the memory of a family home as a shared cultural venue, Jummar reflects Lahim’s commitment to design that is contemporary yet deeply grounded in place, offering a setting where nature, heritage, and community come together.