Permata Villa Jakarta, Design by Andra Matin Architect

Located in a large family compound in the middle of Jakarta, this house is one of three on the site.The owner’s parents live in an adjacent house, which is attached to the third house occupied by his sibling.The three houses are grouped towards the front of the compound, allowing for a vast, common, open space at the back, the focus of which is a large swimming pool.

Right A canopy of thin concrete supported by an inverted L-shaped concrete structure and a con- crete frame box clad with horizon- tal wood slats mark the entrance to the house. From the box, visi- tors walk down an open plaza that leads to the actual entrance.

A large, sparkling pool lies at the heart of the family compound, and it is here that the occupants of three houses gather to swim and socialize. Visually framed by the bridge connecting the house to the parent’s home, the pool is surrounded by lawns dotted with palms and other tropical foliage.

A set of steps leads to the living room, raised considerably higher than the garden. Pivoted on floor hinges, the timber-framed glass doors allow the spaces to flow seamlessly into one another.

The overall plan of the house includes three distinct masses superimposed on each other, with the central mass tying the others together. From the street, the house ap- pears somewhat univiting, fortified as it is by a modulated wall with small fenestrations.The entrance, which is skewed at an angle of forty-five degrees, is reached by tiled steps, which lead into a cube screened by narrow bands of wood. The house proper is entered at the far end of the cube.

The living room takes full advantage of the large site and high elevation on which the house stands, commanding views of the garden and swimming pool through large timber-framed glass doors along three sides of the room. Thin wooden blinds screen views and light. The zebra striped carpet is a humorous touch and offsets the formality of the room.

The front (left) and back (right) elevations show the cube-like formality of the architecture and the complex composition of elements.

Harmonizing with the slats on the cube are wooden “grilles” screening the windows on the first and second floors. A tall white wall with a single elongated window on the third floor forms the front of the house. Once inside, the architect has modulated the volumes and planes and offered further spatial variety by playing with the heights of the spaces and the shapes of the openings.

The front entrance express- es the play of planes and volumes found throughout the house. The wide horizontal strips of wood covering the windows help shade the interiors from direct sunlight while bringing in reflected light.

The main, central mass accommodates a formal dining room in the middle of the first floor that extends to an airy, open living room at the rear. Continuous black granite flooring throughout the living and dining areas allows the spaces to flow seamlessly into one another. A spiral staircase in the corner of the living room leads down to a games room. Above, on the second floor of the central mass— reached by a centrally located staircase—is a central family room extending back to the master bedroom.

Yellow and white chairs add to the casual air of the double- height informal dining space. The corridor above leads to the bridge connecting the parents’ place.

The second and third masses are pulled out towards the front of the house, creating a kind of open plaza that leads to the entrance.The second mass, on the left of the entrance, contains a study for the master of the house on the first floor and another study for the children. Above, on the second floor, are two children’s bedrooms.

A corner off the living room on the second level, raised on a wooden platform, commands views of the garden and swimming pool.

A bright red reading chair is a bold presence in a corner of the master study on the first floor. The door leads to the gangway which runs along the perimeter wall on the left of the site.

The third mass, to the right of the central structure, contains the kitchen, a casual dining room, and a room where drop-in visitors can be received without inviting them into the house proper. Above, on the second floor, a larger children’s study-cum-games room projects out, opening to the entrance plaza. Another room is placed on the interior mezzanine level of the study.

The third children’s bed- room, on the interior mezzanine level of the games room, is cover- ed with warm wood flooring, which complements the sturdy wooden treads of the staircase springing from the floor of the games room.

Two rows of illuminated paving stones set at right angles in a pond in the entrance plaza lead to the living room on the left and to the reception room for drop-in visitors on the right. The far corner of the pond is illumi- nated by a series of box lights which act as a skylight for the basement garage.

In contrast to the protective screens at the front of the house, large openings characterize the back, allowing the garden and pool to be seen from the master bedroom as well as the living and dining areas of the house.

Another view of the entrance structure, slanted at a forty-five degree angle, which greets visitors to the house.

Near the pool, a wooden screen blocks views of the out- door shower, washbasin, and changing room. The changing room is essentially a concrete niche equipped with swinging wooden doors on steel poles.

Although designed as a self-contained unit, the house is connected to the others in the compound via a bridge- way at the second level.This allows the parents of the owner to visit their grandchildren and vice versa without having to go up and down any stairs or in and out of the entrances.The structures of the houses, crowned by the bridgeway, create an entrance gateway to the vast open space around the swimming pool, the area most commonly shared by all the occupants of the compound.

The first floor plan shows the formal dining room and living room in the central mass, the two studies in the second mass on the left, and the informal dining area, kitchen, and reception room in the third mass on the right.

The second floor plan shows the location of the family room and master bedroom in the central mass, two bedrooms flanking ad- joining bathrooms in the second mass on the left, and a games room in the right-hand mass, with a third bedroom on the interior mezzanine level above it.