  We explore, by Monte Carlo and Mean Field methods, the five--dimensional
SU(2) adjoint Higgs model. We allow for the possibility of different couplings
along one direction, describing the so--called anisotropic model. This study is
motivated by the possibility of the appearance of four--dimensional layered
dynamics. Actually, our results lead to the conclusion that the establishment
of a layered phase in four dimensions described by U(1) symmetry is possible,
the extra dimension being confined due to the SU(2) gauge symmetry. The
five-dimensional adjoint Higgs model turns out to have a layered phase, in
contradistinction with what is known about the pure SU(2) model.
