Ting House Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Wooi Architect

The house responds to the dramatic topography of a site which the architect saw as more of an opportunity than a challenge.

Plan of the ground floor, including the main living area

The curved form of the house wraps a protective arm around part of the outdoor entertainment deck.

‘The idea behind the Ting House is to renew a sense of wonder in the familiarity of living in an equatorial zone by judicious framing and limiting the view, light, shadow, breeze, sky and surroundings. Working with the curvaceous contour and the steep sloping site accentuates the spatial experience as one moves about the space vertically and horizontally.’— Lok Kuang Wooi This house is part of a gated community located in a former rubber plantation. The hilly topography gives the house a sense of privacy and exclusivity, while also offering some splendid panoramas.

The clients are a couple with two grown-up children who had previously lived in semi-detached and terrace houses and now wanted something more individual and independent. When they invited architect Lok Kuang Wooi to look at the development site, very few of the lots had been sold. They were therefore surprised when he chose a site set on a steep slope where the access road is 15 metres below the back boundary and 11 metres below the first buildable level.

But the architect saw an opportunity to build a distinctive building that grew out of the landscape and took advantage of the views. He also saw the opportunity to create a contemporary tropical house which in form, palette and materials was a part of its natural context and which worked with the climate, not against it. Hence, the elevated siting of the building enables such a high degree of natural ventilation that the owners rarely have to use air-conditioning.

In addition, the extended curving elevation of the house as it follows the contour of the hill allowed for a shallow floorplate, ensuring that natural light penetrates every part of the house. The marked elevation of the house above the road also guarantees privacy, allowing the house to be fully transparent, even the bedrooms and bathrooms. The owners thus feel permanently connected to the outside landscape.

Finally, the house offers significant spatial experiences, both vertically and horizontally, once again reflecting the experience of living in a rugged tropical terrain.

The basic curve of the house follows the contour of the hill and defines, on the first level or ground floor, the main body of the house— the living, dining and kitchen areas. Outside, there is a spa terrace and a koi pond. The wall and floor of the spa utilize rock taken from the site.

The front wall of the living and dining areas consists of full-height glass with sliding doors. Here, instead of the usual concrete columns, the architect has used clusters of slender load-bearing steel pipes which contribute to the overall ‘industrial’ feel of the house. But this industrial feel is tempered by the use of timber, especially the vertical 1 x 2” chengal hardwood screen which rises from the lower ground level to the roof eave. The delicate filigree nature of the screen complements the robust concrete structure of the building, while the material and the palette help it blend into the landscape. It also acts as a sun filter, reducing heat and softening the light. In parts, it also acts as a railing and as a security grill.

The vertiginous stairwell of concrete is both alarming and exciting.

The curved wall that partly masks the main living area from the top of the stairs

Entry to the living/dining area is a counterpoint of concrete, local brick, steel and glass

The hardwood screen provides privacy without excluding light or access to views

The clusters of steel supporting tubes hint at the tall trees outside

The spacious master bedroom

This view of the deck gives an indication of the panoramas afforded by the elevated siting of the house

Organic curved shapes constantly meet and separate

A secondary curved volume begins at street level next to the garage. This houses the entry stairway, gallery and gymnasium and also provides privacy for the decks in the event of the adjacent plot being developed.

There are few arrival sequences to rival the one at the Ting House. From the garage at street level, the visitor passes through a solid timber door—originally intended to be a table top—into a stairwell to proceed up a heady spiral staircase comprising 56 steps. (There is also a lift for the less able-bodied.) At the upper ground floor, there is a naturally lit landing followed by another nine steps before the visitor emerges into the grand space of the living area, although this view is initially modulated by the curved wall of the kitchen, thus giving the space a dynamic, flowing character.

The curving motif of the external form of the building is thus mirrored inside the house, both on the living/dining level and on the top floor. Here there are three family bedrooms and a guest room, together with a gymnasium.

In many ways, this is a house of journeys, both vertical and horizontal. Going up the stairs engenders a slight frisson of anxiety because, although the stairs are made from concrete, they are also remarkably delicate. But one is led ever upward, lured by the vision of a rich and beautifully detailed timber ceiling. Once inside the house proper, the spaces flow into one another without fully revealing themselves until the last minute.