Dewan SHMA Layan Verde design
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Dewan SHMA Layan Verde design
At Layan Verde, Dewan Architects + Engineers lead the overall architectural vision, with chief design officer Mohammed Adib shaping a concept that blends contemporary forms with everyday practicality. His focus is on a multi-use development that feels iconic yet comfortable for residents, guests, and the wider Phuket community.
Working alongside Dewan, landscape studio SHMA designs the outdoor environment so that nature and people meet naturally. Their plan introduces multiple landscape zones, allowing the buildings to sit quietly within lush greenery and hillside contours instead of dominating the setting.
In brief
- Dewan Architects + Engineers, led on this project by chief design officer Mohammed Adib, are responsible for Layan Verde’s architectural concept, combining modern design with day-to-day usability for owners and guests.
- SHMA provides the landscape design, creating more than ten distinct zones with waterfalls, streams, ponds, forest areas, pools, and walking routes so that nature and residents stay closely connected.
- Together, Dewan and SHMA aim to visually soften much of the built form within the landscape, letting jungle and water features define the experience while still delivering a fully functional multi-use resort community.
What to do
The architectural design of Layan Verde by Dewan Architects + Engineers is positioned as a careful balance of environmental sensitivity and modern solutions. Under the leadership of chief design officer and project architect Mohammed Adib, the team focuses on aesthetics that remain practical in daily life, with a vision of contemporary buildings that sit comfortably in a tropical hillside setting rather than competing with it.
SHMA’s landscape design supports this vision through more than ten diverse zones created for both nature and people. These zones include waterfalls, streams and ponds, walking paths, a hilltop pool, evergreen forest areas, and a jungle pool. The goal is for residents to move through a sequence of water, greenery, and elevation changes, experiencing the site as a layered landscape rather than a single flat garden or courtyard.
Across the site, the collaboration between Dewan and SHMA is geared toward returning as much of the land to nature as possible. Buildings are visually softened by surrounding jungle and water features, while the landscape network offers multiple ways to move through the project. For a prospective overseas buyer, this means the emphasis is on an immersive, resort-style environment with strong privacy and greenery, rather than a purely urban or hard-edged residential complex.
What to keep in mind
In describing his approach to Layan Verde, Mohammed Adib notes that the location is very special and that the goal is to create a unique multi-use development that also works as a destination for the wider island community. The team aims to build a place where residents and visitors from outside the project can come together, giving the development a sense of life beyond private ownership alone.
Adib also explains that the design intent is for the project to be “to see and not be seen.” In practice, this means hiding the buildings as much as possible, allowing the jungle to cover much of the visible surface and revealing only selective slots of windows. This approach is likely to appeal to buyers who value privacy and a strong connection to greenery, and may be less suited to those who prefer highly exposed landmark towers or wide open city views.
From the landscape side, SHMA describes a journey that begins at the sea and bay, then follows streams and waterways through jungle, hills, and even cave-like passages, eventually reaching the highest point of the site with the best views above a waterfall. To make this accessible, they propose two types of walkways: ground-level paths that climb the terrain and a canopy walk at a flatter level so more people can move easily across the site. This underlines that Layan Verde is designed as a walkable, experience-driven environment rather than a simple collection of standalone buildings.