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Two Homes Built of Local Materials as a Way to Foster Family Bonds

By kangsadank
July 3, 2024
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Chiang Mai, Thailand /

/ Story: Wuthikorn Sut / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Ratthee Phaisanchotsiri /

Aptly named “Our Home”, a pair of houses stands on the same property, suggesting the truth about the importance of family and building a peaceful society. The bigger house is designed for occupancy by the homeowner, while the smaller one is Mother’s residence. On the whole, there is beauty in simplicity and the way of life relevant to both of them. The concept of design is evidenced by the use of vernacular building materials and contemporary gable roof ideas that are straightforward, warm and inviting.

The main building is a two-story home that’s simple yet attractively modern.

From the design perspective, the principal building is a two-story home with three-bedroom three-bath suites under a steep pitch roof. The basic elements of design paired with the landscape speak the language of architecture that’s easy to understand. Walk in the door, and you come to a bright and airy hallway giving access to all the rooms, at the same time blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors.

A staircase nearby is built against the south wall glazed using clear glass alternating with louvered wood shutters for light control and ventilation. On the side facing the hallway, a handrail provides stability for walking up and down stairs.

Opposite the stairs, an open kitchen designed for easy moving affords a view of an inner courtyard with a thriving shade tree in the middle. It grows to fill the void of space on the second floor, creating a visual connection with nature and bringing the home office and private residential areas into contact.

The staircase leading to the second floor is built against the wall glazed with clear glass alternating with louvered wood shutters for light control.

The kitchen is enclosed by glass walls and sliding doors, creating clearly distinguishable boundaries.

A passage on the outside of the building overlooks a courtyard offering green spaces, fresh air and the joy of home.

The mother’s home is a single-story building with an open floor plan made for plain and simple living. There’s a sitting room adjacent to a pantry capable of adapting to changing needs. It holds two bedrooms and a bath with all the functionality for receiving visiting family members.

A platform along the exterior provides a connection between inside and outside. The overall effect is impressive, thanks to wall openings, windows and doorways working in tandem to keep the house cool and comfortable. The two buildings share the same vernacular building materials and features, forming a delightful and consistent whole.

The living room inside Mother’s home has oversized glass door systems that open to connect with the main house.

Mother’s bedroom is a plain, well-lighted place thanks to a large glass door system.

Everything changes with the passage of time, and somewhere along the line this pair of houses is changing with it. Previously an empty space, the backyard garden is now bursting with vegetable and herb gardens thriving luxuriantly. An outdoor area provides room for a playground with swings and miniature houses for kids.

A garden pathway meanders gently through the pea gravel courtyard between the two homes.

Like nature intended, they create a conducive learning environment. Above all else, the courtyard between the two homes serves the purpose of strengthening family bonds. It’s a place to sit together, talk together and shoot the breeze. In a few words, there’s nothing like “Our Home”, so to speak.

Architect: Homesook Studio (https://www.facebook.com/homesookstudio/)

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A Renovated Shophouse with a Hidden Gem, Simply Delightful

By livingasean
June 21, 2024
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam /

/ Story: Phattaraphon / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Quang Tran /

This small shophouse in Ho Chi Minh City has been renovated to answer the specific needs of a family of four and their pet cats. From time to time, Grandma comes by to watch the little children and stay overnight. As may be expected of the narrow-front dwelling ubiquitous across Vietnam’s urban landscapes, the house plan is much longer than it is wide, plus there is a problem.

renovated shophouse Vietnam — A view from the street, perforated metal panels painted a cool-toned white provide privacy protection.

Facing the northwest direction, the front façade gets full afternoon sun causing heat gain inside the already tiny home lacking fresh air and ventilation. It’s amazing how a well-thought-out makeover changes everything, resulting in a bright and airy living space.

The perforated metal fence gate works in tandem with the principal face of the building creating a transition between indoor and outdoor living spaces.

The homeowners sought the advice of professionals, THIA Architecture of Ho Chi Minh City, to improve the situation. After thorough site inspections, a team of designers came up with a plan to renovate the front of the house in two parts.

First, at ground level the old opaque fence gate was removed and replaced by a new one made entirely of perforated steel sheets. Little holes in the steel panels let fresh outdoor air pass through and circulate inside, meanwhile providing diffused light and improving home privacy.

Then, on top of the fence gate a framework of metal bars is put in, anchored securely to the concrete wall up front. Designed as a support for climbing plants, it rises as high as the roof eave, creating in a double layer façade that’s beautiful and capable of keeping the heat out. At least that’s the future plan.

[Left] A trio of drawings illustrates space utilization on the first and second floors as well as the rooftop skylight. / [Right] A street map shows the house location in relation to others in the neighborhood. / Courtesy of THIA Architecture

[Left] A side elevation view in cross section shows the relationship between natural and built-up environments. / [Right] A concept of decorative patterns on the house façade seen from the street. / Courtesy of THIA Architecture

A sunlit small courtyard, for lack of a better word, brightens the room at the center of the house plan.

Sitting nook design ideas under a gable roof provide a gimmick intended to evoke memories of Vietnam’s rustic countryside.

Grandma’s bedroom tucked away at the rear is a calm personal living space well-lit by natural daylight.

Walk through the metal fence gate, and you discover a small terrace bringing in natural light and fresh air into the family living room with a kitchen and dining room nearby.

Grandma’s bedroom is tucked away at the rear of the house plan, separated from the sitting room up front by a small interior green space illuminated by a rooftop skylight. By design, it’s an added feature that solves the problem of stale air and stuffy room once and for all.

Its small size notwithstanding, the interior green space exudes the simplicity and charm considered typical of the Vietnamese countryside. It looks neat and is well cared for. Plus, weather-beaten wood and vintage earthen roof tiles provide a gimmick intended to attract attention.

From here, a set of stairs lead to the second floor holding the principal bedroom up front, separated from two bedrooms for kids by the void of space above the tiny center courtyard.

In closing, it’s the story of a little house made comfortable, bright and airy by well-thought-out design. The center courtyard, for lack of a better word, provides a communal space shared by all members of the family, the result of a renovation done right that makes a small home a happy home.

Architect: THIA Architecture

Lead designer: Arc Huynh Xuan Thi

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The Red Roof: A Suburban Home Enlivened by Rooftop Terraced Gardens and Old Ways of Life

By livingasean
February 29, 2024
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Quang Ngai, Vietnam /

/ Story: Ektida N. / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Courtesy of TAA Design /

Named “The Red Roof” for its external envelope and roof deck covered with tiles in a goldish-red tone, a row house-style suburban home acts as a focal point for life on a suburban housing development in Quang Ngai, the capital and namesake of a central Vietnam province.

the red roof Suburban Home vietnam — The house façade under a rooftop terraced garden shows a modest appearance that blends with nearby homes in the neighborhood.

As might be expected, urbanization and land use change has brought a new, refreshing experience to suburban architecture and its surroundings. Quang Ngai is no exception. Over the past several years, modern homes and new lifestyles have expanded into the outskirts of the city.

Inevitably some details are already impacting the old way of life in a profound way. Among others, the once familiar sight of locals growing vegetables in the fields is gradually diminishing.

Content in the existing circumstances, a couple in their mid-50s are resolved not to change, preferring to live life the old-fashioned way. They were born and raised here, after all. And that’s exactly where a capable team of architects at TAA Design came in to produce desired outcome.

The result is a suburban home that’s neither too big nor too small offering 190 square meters of usable space, one with the power of storytelling about their youthful exuberance having grown up in the area.

A charcoal sketch shows the house’s location in the context of surrounding suburbia. / Courtesy of TAA Design

In cross section, a perspective drawing shows the layout of the rooftop terraced garden in relation to the center courtyard and other areas of the house plan. / Courtesy of TAA Design

Seen from a distance, the house façade rises flanked by neighboring homes that are part of a continuous row in a uniform way.

There’s a narrow street on one side typical of a village in the countryside, which gives the home a favorable position in terms of design. This allows generous openings in the side wall to admit light and fresh outdoor air into the home, resulting in a comfortable indoor environment.

A drawing shows different areas and functions in the house plan. / Courtesy of TAA Design

The drawing shows the mezzanine floor area. / Courtesy of TAA Design

A side elevation drawing shows different areas and functions of the house plan, starting from the water tank at the top to the lowest point abutting on the street in front, a natural way to keep the terraced garden well supplied using water flowing from high to low. / Courtesy of TAA Design

Step inside, and you find multipurpose double space rooms scattered at three different locations. Together they add a sense of space and interaction in the interior, providing physical ease and relaxation all the way to the second floor.

The first room holds sitting areas with a bicycle workshop situated at the front, while the second contains a place for boiling water and cooking meat over an open fire like old times. The third room is an open area located at the rear bordering on the bedroom that opens to reap the full health benefits of a backyard landscape.

At the front, the bicycle workshop is protected by a folding gate system with wire mesh infills. There are sitting areas located further inside, connected to a kitchen in the middle of the house plan that serves as the center of everyday life in the family. For privacy, the bedroom is situated in a quiet and secluded area at the back.

Overall, the interior emphasizes simple design with floating furniture arrangement intended for easy updates. The floors are paved with tiles in light shades of gray that blend with the color and texture of unfinished concrete walls. To avoid looking too plain, window trims are done in black, which in a way adds a distinctive visual emphasis to the interior.

The second floor holds more bedrooms thoughtfully devised to connect with the outdoors. It performs a dual role, providing skylights that illuminate the living rooms directly below and, at the same time, giving access to rooftop terraces where herb and vegetable gardens are grown.

Terracing is a long-established farming practice that turns sloped ground into farmlands by building raised bands across a surface to contain water for agriculture. In this particular case, the same idea and knowledge of soil and water resource management is applied to the rooftop instead of the usual mountainside.

Despite its simple appearance, the suburban home with a rooftop terraced garden is designed and built by a team of experts, each specialized in a particular branch of science using meticulous calculation to produce the kind of load-bearing structure and foundation that’s right for the purpose. Plus, attention to detail is given to prevent water leaking from containers and pipes in the system.

For the look that’s pleasing to the eye, the same kind of ceramic tiles in earthy red tones of uniform shape and size are used to build both the exterior walls and the rooftop terraces.

In a nutshell, it’s a beautiful suburban home where second-floor living spaces and third-floor terraced gardens merge seamlessly into one gentle slope descending from the apex of the roof to its lowest point abutting on the street in front. It’s a show of humility and friendly attitude to blend with others in the community. In the end, it’s a blessing to have a good neighbor.

Architect: TAA Design (taadesign.com)

Principal Architects: Nguyen Van Thien, Nguyen Huu Hau

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Dien Khanh House: Where Modern Lifestyle and the Rural Way Intermix

By livingasean
February 1, 2024
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Khanh Hoa, Vietnam /

/ Story: Kor Lordkam / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Hiroyuki Oki /

A small white house overlooking river views merges into the countryside vernacular of Dien Khanh, a district of Khanh Hoa Province on the southeast coast of Vietnam. Built on an elongated rectangle, it has a narrow frontage to the street like other houses in the neighborhood. Yet, it’s different from the others for its ultramodern appearance. It all started with the architect trying to create a home that’s up to date and, at the same time, capable of blending into the surroundings. Ideally, it should agree with the historical and cultural setting of the place. And it has to be comfortable to live in.

The result is a two-story home with public spaces in the downstairs layout. The front of the house plan holds the sitting room and dining room. High ceilings make the overall interior space feel light, airy and cool.

Dien Khanh House — Small green spaces on both sides of the front yard pathway add a natural touch to the main entry area.

Half way into the house plan, a spiral staircase that’s the focal point of design winds up to the second floor. Further inside, a more personal room contains small kitchen space that’s clearly separated from the bedroom for aging Mom and Dad located at the rear.

Climb a flight of stairs, and you come to two more bedrooms with an ancestral hall at the far end.

A drawing shows the house location in the riverside neighborhood. / Courtesy of 6717 Studio

A diagram shows spatial relationships between Floors 1 and 2, plus the roof. / Courtesy of 6717 Studio

The side elevation illustrates spatial relationships between functional spaces in the home. / Courtesy of 6717 Studio

Despite it being long and narrow, the architect had no difficulty finding ways to make the interior room well-lit and well ventilated. The problem of confined spaces is resolved simply by growing a small garden in the main entry area, a natural way to create passive cooling effects in the home.

At the rear, a small backyard serves as engine that drives natural air circulation. That’s not all. At the center of the house plan, a small square courtyard adds a little bit of greenery to the interior. Together, these little green spaces go to work bringing fresh outdoor air into the home all day long.

The downstairs bedroom opens to the interior courtyard.

Taken as a whole, these are the key attributes that give the new home character. Plus, the roof with a high pitch is designed to perform in severe storms. It’s painted a bright shade of orange to add a new feature to the community landscape.

Combine that with simple clean lines and white walls, and it conjures up the image of a small cozy home that blends perfectly with the charm of rustic rural life.

For privacy, the two upstairs bedrooms are separated by the center courtyard.

Architect: 6717 Studio (6717studio.com)

Lead Architect: Le Viet Hoi

This house appears in the Special Bilingual Edition (English and Thai) of Baan Lae Suan and Living Asean, titled “Tropical Suburban and Country Homes”. It focuses on designs for cozy living in harmony with nature.

We have handpicked ten houses for this special edition that serve as the perfect example of design innovations in sync with the natural world. Front and center, it’s about the pursuit of ways to live more sustainably and create a better future for all. Looking for inspiration? Perhaps a glimpse into nature-inspired “Tropical Suburban and Country Homes” is a good place to start.

Delve into the new book today. It’s hitting Thailand shelves now. For more details, visit https://www.naiin.com/product/detail/592504

For bulk ordering, contact livingasean.bkk@gmail.com

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By livingasean
January 16, 2024
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Nakhon Nayok, Thailand /

/ Story: Kor Lordkam / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Rungkit Charoenwat /

Here’s a gorgeous modern home nestled in the wooded hills of Nakhon Nayok Province, roughly an hour’s drive from the capital. It’s a good-sized home built on 12 Rai of valleylands (just shy of 5 acres). The surroundings are naturally beautiful no doubt, and the design team at Stu/D/O, a Bangkok-based architectural practice, is determined to leave everything in its pristine condition. It involves detailed environmental assessment to reduce human impacts on ecosystems and, at the same time, create a wholesome atmosphere for relaxation.

The vast expanse of the forests is vital headwaters to many tributaries and rich in ecological corridors that are key to the survival of the region’s native fauna. And that takes priority over any other matter concerning the siting of the home.

Like so, the building is made less visible to avoid disrupting the ways of nature. It’s a house without fences by design that accepts things as they are. So wildlife can wander leisurely by, plus existing trees on the property remain where they have always been to minimize the impact on the environment.

Mimicking the contours of the landscape, a semi-outdoor pathway connects the carport to the villa.

Winding Villa — The center courtyard is hemmed in by the circular concrete wall with curved concrete roofing.

That explains why the elements of the landscape are integrated into the home plan. It’s a design that considers human needs in connection with other things in the environment. And the house’s appearance reflects this line of thought.

Like poetry in motion, graceful curves wind around a stand of trees, six of them in all, creating good design flow that’s in sync with the rhythm of the wild. Curved concrete barriers prevent an encounter with wandering wildlife and provide safe outdoor room for the home with a center courtyard.

Ample semi-outdoor room for relaxation by the poolside.

Within the confines of the place, a beautiful two-story house plan is created. Freeform curves fill the ground floor where a sitting room and kitchen space flow together as one. There’s a workshop cum hobby room nearby. Together they take up one side of the floor.

At the center court, a swimming pool connects to the semi-outdoor sitting room along the outside of the home. There are housekeeper living quarters and service areas at the opposite end.

The freeform concrete structure on the ground floor differs strikingly from the rectangular-shaped second floor that sits on top of it. It’s the perfect stark contrast where geometric rigidity meets graceful fluidity.

There is the beauty of humble materials such as timber cladding that adorns the exterior walls on all sides. The second floor contains bedrooms with personality that varies from room to room.

Taken as a whole, it’s a salubrious place made for relaxation, a country villa thoughtfully devised to incorporate environmental considerations into the design process. And it’s done with respect for nature.

Drawing of ground floor plan. / Courtesy of Stu/D/O

Drawing of second floor plan. / Courtesy of Stu/D/O

Owner: Daniel Easson

Architects: Stu/D/O Architects (www.stu-d-o.com)

Design team: Apichart Srirojanapinyo, Chanasit Cholasuek, Thanut Sakdanaraseth, Pitchaya Kointarangkul

Prime Contractor: Double Click Construction

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Mae Rim House: A Home on the Hill, Fresh Air and Memories of the Good Old Days

By livingasean
December 19, 2023
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Chiang Mai, Thailand /

/ Story: Wuthikorn Sut / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Add Peerapat Wimolrungkarat, Something Architecture /

This house on the hill is a refreshing change to be taken seriously. Designed for four people to fit in comfortably, it looks out over the Mae Sa River in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim District. It all began with a family wanting to get away from Bangkok and live somewhere out there in the countryside. As luck would have it, they had an old vacation home that needed repairs, and the rest is history.

It wasn’t long before they decided to put in a new house set amid the landscape of undulating hillsides filled with fond memories of the good old days. From a distance, the new place named Mae Rim House is built into nature, the perfect place to get fresh air and sunshine. Can’t beat that!

Home on the Hill fresh air — The open concept first floor offers plenty of ample space under double height ceilings. It holds a living room, dining room and kitchen. Upstairs, a footbridge provides access to the bedroom at the rear of the house plan.

Upon completion, the family had most of their furniture and furnishings shipped up here when they left Bangkok. They included collectibles that had been in family possession for some time and personal effects shipped home after an extended stay overseas. Take a quick look, and it’s easy to get how they felt a sentimental attachment to their possessions.

The dinning room affords a peaceful vista of the family’s old vacation home at the rear of the property.

Overall, home decoration is inspired by fond memories for the past. Amenities and features of the house are mostly in taupe or light gray with a tinge of brown. And that’s especially true for the ceilings, interior walls, sofas and other furniture items.

It’s a mix of old and new that blends perfectly with the dense green color of the surrounding landscape. The same applies to the comparative coolness of the house exterior that’s in shade for much of the day, a rustic ambience that’s in perfect harmony with nature.

The two-story, 500-square-meter home boasts the beauty of a large living room in the middle of the first floor. Elsewhere, smaller sitting areas are placed at intervals across the house plan.

But what makes it an interesting place to live is the double height ceiling at the center that promotes cross ventilation, keeping the interior cool and comfortable especially during summer months. At the same time, open concept design encourages smooth flow around the interior, from the kitchen to dining room to living room.

A topographic map shows the house location on the hill in relation to green spaces, roadway and nearby structures.

The result is a bright and breezy atmosphere, thanks in part to an array of sliding glass doors on one side of the house that opens to let nature permeate the interior. There’s also a ceiling fan on standby, too. It’s so cozy that they hardly ever use air conditioning.

The first floor holds two bedrooms with a view of nature. Designed for senior family members, they are positioned at either end of the house plan for increased privacy. The second floor is an entirely different story.

There’s an attic-style bedroom at the south end of the house plan that has been adapted to avoid stuffiness and promote good air flow. For lighting and ventilation, a trio of awnings and skylight windows are built into the gable roof.

Inside the house, slanted ceilings that run parallel to top chords create a bigger space overhead making the entire bedroom feel spacious and airy. On the outside, the underside of overhanging eaves is covered with soffit panels for a neat appearance.

For indoor thermal comfort, the box-shaped home lies protected by an expansive gable roof with long eaves overhanging the exterior walls. It stands hemmed in by tall trees that keep the new family home in shade for much of the day.

The awning and skylight window customized to match the roof reduces the harshness of materials, plus it facilitates cross ventilation in the interior, keeping the house cool in summer.

What makes it fascinating is the far ends of the gable roof that extends quite a distance from the walls of the building. The resulting triangular shape of the second level is designed to avoid making the house look too big or too tall, so as to blend with all that exists in the neighborhood. After all, it’s everlasting harmony that’s the foundation of good design.

Architect: WOSArchitects (wosarchitects.com)

Interior Designer: Estudio (www.facebook.com/Estu.interior)

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ACH House: An Airy, Bright and Well Composed Indonesian Home

ACH House: An Airy, Bright and Well Composed Indonesian Home

By livingasean
December 8, 2023
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Jakarta, Indonesia /

/ Story: Kanamon Najaroen / English version: Bob Pitakwong

/ Photographs: Ernest Theofilu /

Here’s a narrow lot airy Indonesian home beautifully nestled in the south of Jakarta. Named “ACH House”, it’s simple yet strikingly contemporary in appearance. A brick façade in rustic reds adds visual interest and texture to the exterior. To create a calm and peaceful living space, the house plan is divided into two parts with a lush courtyard in between that increases natural ventilation and daylight streaming into the interior.

ACH HOUSE airy indonesian home — A façade of bricks laid at a 45-degree angle adds a classic, timeless look to the home exterior, a perfect complement to nearby concrete walls in cool-toned white.

The south-facing property gets the most natural light during the day, plus heavy rainfall that varies with the seasons. To deal with the problem, the architects rose to the challenge by creating a perforated façade of red bricks laid at a 45-degree angle to keep the heat out and let fresh outdoor air into the home.

In the meantime, tiny vents in the wall let trapped moisture escape into the air and evaporate. This enables the building envelope to withstand wear and damage over a long period of time, while the classic color and texture blends with nearby concrete walls in cool-toned whites.

A flight of stairs on the left side of the house plan leads to the main living area on the second floor.

Walk in the door, and you find the home made up of two buildings separated by a lush center courtyard with a swimming pool. It’s a layout that strikes the right balance between the south-facing front building that holds service areas and a carport, and the building at the rear that provides quiet, more secluded living spaces.

The center courtyard offers many benefits. Among other things, it lets natural light and breezes into the home, thereby reducing heat trapped inside, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect.

ACH House is a well thought out two-story home. The first floor has all the service spaces located in the front building; they include a carport, storage, washing and laundry, plus a domestic employee’s lodging. At the same time, the building at the rear contains children’s rooms, study room and bedroom for houseguests.

Floor Plans. / Courtesy of Wiyoga Nurdiansyah Architects

A side elevation drawing shows spatial relationships on the left side, top, and the right side of the house, bottom. / Courtesy of Wiyoga Nurdiansyah Architects

The second floor holds the main living areas easily accessed via a flight of stairs on the left side of the house plan. The front building has a prayer room and the primary bedroom with a bathroom en suite.

On the other side of the pool, the building at the rear holds a roomy sitting space with a kitchen and dining room. For added convenience, all the upstairs living areas can also be reached via an outdoor ramp on the right side of the house plan.

The primary bedroom is upstairs in the front building overlooking a swimming pool and wood deck connecting to the living room at the rear of the house plan.

Taking everything into account, it’s an airy Indonesian home that embraces the beauty of simplicity. The house is built using materials readily available in the locality.

There is one exception. Its gable roof is adapted for use in a new environment. It’s made asymmetrical for good reason. The steep pitch roof facing outward provides excellent water drainage, sending rainwater straight to the front yard and backyard gardens below.

In the meantime, the reasonable pitch roof facing inward allows rainwater to flow away gently onto the center courtyard garden, an easy hack to protect against flooding.

The design team wraps it up nicely. Despite its narrow frontage to the street, ACH House is made for calm and peaceful living. It’s very well composed to form a beautiful whole with all the spaces and functionality needed to fill the heart with happiness.

Plus, there’s a sense of open-air space that comes from having a lively green center courtyard and balance in interior design. Together they work in tandem to provide the peace of mind for whatever the future may hold.

Architect: Wiyoga Nurdiansyah, of Wiyoga Nurdiansyah Architects (www.wiyoganurdiansyah.com)

Design Team: Adecya Louis Azzahro, Ananda Trisiana, Mohammad Diky Priatna

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By livingasean
October 18, 2023
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Can Tho, Vietnam/

/ Story: Kor Lordkam / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: MinQBui /

This narrow lot house is located in Can Tho, a modern city in the South of Vietnam. It lies on the south bank of the Hau River, one of several estuaries through which the Mekong River empties into the South China Sea. Like any busy city, it’s no stranger to incessant activity and overcrowded streets. That’s a practical difficulty for the design team at Da Vang Studio, a homegrown architectural practice based in Ho Chi Minh City. And they rise to the challenge by integrating as much green foliage as possible in the house plan. The result is impressive. The gardens house with a narrow frontage to the street transforms into an oasis of calm, one that offers plenty of comfortable living spaces in close touch with nature.

gardens house — The solid external envelope keeps the house interior safe and secure.

The elongated house plan occupies the full extent of the land that measures 4.5 meters wide and a whopping 23 meters long. As may be expected, the external envelope of the house also doubles as the perimeter of the garden.

The exterior walls are built tall and unable to be seen through for privacy reasons. Yet, the design team has found a way to provide physical ease and relaxation. They called their design approach “Fitting”, meaning everything has to be kept in proportion, nothing more or nothing less than what’s necessary.

Albeit small, it’s a light and airy, well-thought-out house plan.

The Floor Plans of Nhà Voi 7 Gardens House courtesy of DA VÀNG Studio.

In cross section, the elongated house plan illustrates linear arrangements of rooms, functionality, and greenery spaces. Correct building orientation paired with solid exterior walls protects the home from the sun’s harmful rays. Picture by Courtesy of DA VÀNG Studio.

Nhà Voi 7 Gardens House — Healthy green foliage lining the walls and the face of the building keeps the front yard light and breezy.

The two-story house on a narrow lot offers plenty of usable spaces arranged in order of priority. Go in the front door, and you come into the hallway that connects to a dining room and kitchen.

The living room is halfway down the passage with a flight of stairs set against the wall leading to the second floor that holds two bedrooms.

The quiet, more secluded master bedroom lies at the very end of the first floor that opens to a small sun-kissed courtyard. It’s protected by a lattice patio cover that lets the sun shine through and drives natural air circulation.

The light and airy master bedroom on the first floor opens to a small backyard garden.

The master bedroom has a view of the bright and breezy backyard that lies protected by a lattice patio cover.

Calming color and texture add a relaxing effect to one of the bedrooms on the second-floor.

The glass-brick wall admits natural daylight into the second-floor bathroom decorated with plants.

What makes this tiny house unique is the fact that all the indoor and outdoor rooms are enclosed behind solid walls. The feeling of being boxed in is nicely compensated by small interior courtyards and patches of greenery designed for comfort and relaxation.

Of the seven green spaces incorporated in the house plan, the front yard and the backyard are the biggest and the greenest. Adding a touch of nature to the interior, low-light and easy houseplants are positioned at intervals along the walls. Even the bathrooms have small patches of greenery that’s easy on the eyes.

Although small in size, this gardens house comes complete with comfortable living spaces and modern conveniences for healthy living.

Architect: DA VÀNG studio (www.davang.com.vn)

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Rupu House: White Geometric Design Bespeaks a Close Family Bond and Privacy at Home

By livingasean
August 29, 2023
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Bangkok, Thailand /

/ Story: Kor Lordkam / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Nantiya Busabong /

It all began with a thoughtful son’s wish to build a new home and be close to his aging father. And Jun Sekino of the atelier JUNSEKINO Architect and Design was on hand to do precisely that.

Jun Sekino, the architect who designed it, said that originally the plan was to put in an add-on to the existing family home. Later there was a change of plan.

The owner preferred to build a new home on the opposite side of the street from his dad instead, so the design was revised in order to fit an entirely different context.

The result was a white geometric home of outstanding beauty – one that’s simple yet attractive and fully functional. It’s the product of a 360-degree turn.

And after making all necessary adjustments, the architect aptly named it “RUPU HOUSE,” a made-up term coined from the Japanese word for the action of rotating around an axis.

Built on 200 square wah of land (roughly 0.20 acre), the new two-story home offers 680 square meters in total.

It stands surrounded by greenery that’s kept further away at appropriate distances to create a well-lit, well-ventilated living space. The first floor contains functional areas including an open contemporary kitchen with dining space at the center.

There’s a sitting room tucked away in a quiet corner for relaxation. Nearby a semi-outdoor space is reserved for entertaining guests. It lies enclosed by the glass walls of the dining room and sitting room. Glass walls enhance visual continuity and the aesthetic appeal of the home.

By design, the semi-outdoor space on the ground floor is the heart of family life, said the architect. It’s easy to get why this cool and airy area has become the homeowner’s favorite niche.

The second-floor deck keeps it in shade for much of the day. It offers ample space perfect for entertaining.

Despite the house’s modern appearance, the semi-outdoor room evokes pleasant memories of comfort provided by the wooden house on stilts of former times. It’s an ideal place for receiving visitors without disturbing the peace in other parts of the house.

Climb a flight of stairs, and you come to the quiet and secluded second floor that contains three bedrooms. The master bedroom belongs to the homeowner, while two slightly smaller ones are reserved for kids. That’s what the future looks like.

To create a light and airy feel, the spacious master bedroom boasts high standards of comfort with a big bed at the center, a walk-in closet and en-suite bath. But what makes it exceptionally good is the double height ceiling, which gives enough room for a private office on the mezzanine floor.

It’s a layout option inspired by duplex design, a peaceful place in which to work undisrupted. According to Jun Sekino, it’s like having a beautiful office apartment hidden inside the home.

The overall effect is impressive. White geometric design adds interest and a sense of excitement to the house’s external appearance. As Jun Sekino puts it, there is an unadorned beauty plus clean simple lines that fit an easy lifestyle, and that’s exactly the way the homeowner likes it.

Technically, it’s meant to be a simple one-mass unit of construction with a high-pitch shed-style roof, a geometric shape without terra cotta tiles and minimal detailing. And the same treatment applies evenly from top to bottom.

To create a soothing ambience, the concrete exterior home is painted white, a single-color trend toward simplicity in design.

Its shed style roof and external envelope are characterized by regular lines and shapes. This is summed up in the vertical awnings that overhang the walls of the building on all sides.

Together they go to work keeping the sun and rain off the façade, windows and doorway on the ground floor. They also double as a design strategy to break the fall of vertical lines that run from the rooftop to the ground floor.

To improve visual and spatial continuity, the windows, doorway and most of the walls at ground level are glazed using clear glass panels.

The second floor is treated differently. Where appropriate, windows are installed only in the direction that’s not exposed to strong sunlight. Meanwhile, the external walls that face the sun have no wall openings at all.

These solid walls, in turn, make the white geometric home even more noticeable from a distance. As for the interior living spaces, a mix of wood and stone masonry is preferred for its ability to reduce the stiffness of strong geometric shapes.

Looking back over the years, Jun Sekino could still recall that concrete roof construction was the hardest part of the entire project. Steel-reinforced concrete roof building required special skills to ensure the remarkable smoothness of the outer surface and prevent leakage.

Apart from that, other challenges included window fittings, which also needed specialized skills and craftsmanship to make sure they don’t leak when it rains.

All things considered, it’s a home project that brings deep pleasure derived from Jun Sekino’s abilities to accomplish a mission. The concrete exterior is smooth and with no apparent gaps or cracks of any kind. It’s a home carefully thought out to age gracefully.

Like so, the homeowner will be able to repaint the house when necessary without worrying about too many practical details. The new home offers a calm and cozy atmosphere with plenty of room for entertaining and the opportunity to be close to his aging father.

It’s a heartwarming moral story of unbreakable bonds.

Architect: JUNSEKINO Architect and Design

Interior designer: JUNSEKINO Interior Design

Contractor: M.W.K. Construction

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Distracted House: Unique Roof Style Merges Javanese Tradition with Urban Modern Living

By livingasean
July 24, 2023
HOUSE,LIVING

/ Jakarta, Indonesia /

/ Story: Kor Lordkam / English version: Bob Pitakwong /

/ Photographs: Andhy Prayitno, of Mario Wibowo Photography (www.mariowibowo.com) /

Nestled on the outskirts of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, an urban modern home aptly named “Distracted House” looks completely different from everything else. The densely populated neighborhood shares a common characteristic. It’s chock-full of one- and two-story homes closely packed in a way that it feels uncomfortable. To deflect attention away from the humdrum existence of a crowded space, a team of talented engineers at Ismail Solehudin Architecture came up with a clever idea for a craftsman-style home unlike anything else.

The result is a work of outstanding artistry made clearly noticeable by irregular polygons with unequal sides and unequal angles. But what makes Distracted House even more interesting lies in its irresistible power of storytelling.

Beautifully done, it looks the epitome of Javanese culture designed to showcase the ways of life, religious beliefs and traditional vernacular style unique to the Indonesian archipelago.

That’s what gives this home its timeless appeal that blends perfectly with the surrounding landscape.

The two-story, 420-square-meter building is home to an extended family with seven resident members on a normal day. On special occasions and holidays the number can increase to more than 10. That’s precisely a challenge that the architects had to overcome by creating enough usable spaces and functions to satisfy demands.

To fit in with the existing built environment, the only way to go was up. The architects relied on two building methods to solve the problem.

First, the roof was raised slightly higher than normal to create enough room for a mezzanine on the second floor, thereby giving the house extra living spaces, plus well thought out details make the interior feel warm and welcoming. This was achieved in a way that’s compatible with the mostly two-story homes neighborhood.

The second method involved putting in a courtyard with swimming pool at the rear, plus adding plants and greenery inside the home.

The pool that’s the focal point of the courtyard can be seen in full view from inside the dining room and sitting room. To bring the outdoors into the home, small rock gardens with lovely low-maintenance plants are integrated in the design, while skylights set into the roofline keep the interior well-lit during daytime hours.

Overall, the interior living spaces are invitingly comfortable thanks to a well-designed stairwell that opens to admit fresh outdoor air into the room.

Despite the limitations, attention to detail makes the home a special place to be and prevents it from becoming a stuffy, overcrowded space.

Apart from a bright and airy atmosphere, it’s the house’s outer appearance that’s getting the most attention. Plus, family traditions, lifestyle and religious beliefs play a part in determining the location of, and interaction between functional spaces in the home.

This is manifested in building orientation, by which the new home design axis is aligned with Qibla, or the direction towards the Kaaba (the stone building at the center of Islam’s holiest site in Mecca). Hence the Musalla, or room set aside for prayer in Islam, is located at the farthest end in this direction.

A place to quietly reflect inward and connect with Allah, it’s also used for religious ceremonies in the family.

Conceptual Diagram Courtesy of Ismail Solehudin Architecture

House Orientation Concept Courtesy of Ismail Solehudin Architecture

First Floor Plan House Courtesy of Ismail Solehudin Architecture

Second Floor Plan House Courtesy of Ismail Solehudin Architecture

Rooftop Plan House Courtesy of Ismail Solehudin Architecture

Like so, the main communal space of Distracted House is set oblique in relation to the rectangular yard landscape, an unusual layout that sets it apart from the rest. To synchronize modern living with traditional Javanese style and taste, the team of architects added Joglo house architecture to the design.

The term Joglo refers to a steep pitch roof at the center that was associated with Javanese aristocrats in olden times. The center of the floor plan is filled with smaller rooms and functional spaces, creating a conducive environment for a harmonious family life.

Meantime, areas on the periphery are roofed over to keep them in shade.

Overall, the building envelope is made of wood and concrete masonry construction painted white. Where appropriate, air bricks are used as part of the house’s ventilation system.

Except for its unusual shape, the entire roof is covered in terra cotta tiles in a dark shade of orange that’s consistent with other houses in the neighborhood.

In summary, it’s a well-thought-out design that speaks volumes for lifestyle, a strict adherence to religion, and cultural heritage passed down through generations of a family.

A new home made with skill, creativity and imagination, it’s a look that conveys a great deal about the residents through interior and exterior design.

Who would have thought that a home with absolutely unique physical features would ease into beautiful suburban vibes? Interesting, to say the least.

Architects: Ismail Solehudin Architecture (ismailsolehudin.com)
Lead Architect: Ismail Solehudin
Design team: Radhian Dwiadhyasa
Building contractor: Wani Build
Structural Engineer: Pt. Desain putra persada (new building) Andi Dzikril (building structure)

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Rupu House: White Geometric Design Bespeaks a Close Family Bond and Privacy at Home

It all began with a thoughtful son’s wish to build a new home and be close to his aging father. And Jun Sekino of the atelier JUNSEKINO Architect and Design was on hand to do precisely that.

Distracted House: Unique Roof Style Merges Javanese Tradition with Urban Modern Living

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