Howard House, Budiman Hendropurnomo and Dicky Hendrasto Architects
Thin planes of concrete and glass and sun-catching “flaps” on the roof are innovative solutions to the entry of light and air on the narrow, wedge-shaped site.
A wooden balcony protrudes from the upper level of the large central house, supported by a concrete beam that frames the back entrance. A large old tree helps shield the house from views across the creek which cuts through the middle of the site.
A new complex comprising a large central house (shown here) and nine townhouses has been developed on a triangular-shaped residential site formerly owned by the embassy of the German Democratic Republic. Five houses had been built on the area bordered by the street in front and the natural Krukuk creek behind, which cuts longi- tudinally through the middle of the site. A kindergarten had occupied the triangular site across the creek.The architecture of the old houses, dating from the late 1960s, featured some interesting design elements of the time, such as outward-slanting walls, popularly known as the jengki style, and white slate arranged in graphic patterns on the lower parts of the outer walls.
Despite the rather interesting design of the old structures, technical problems meant they had to be torn down. However, the location of the architects’ nine new townhouses is literally based on the footprint of the five old houses, with three new townhouses inserted in gaps in between the five, and with one of the houses divided to become two townhouses.The design of the new town- houses was intended to evoke memories of the old houses rather than to physically mimic them.The slanted walls appear again in the nine new townhouses, as does the cladding, but this time round dark gray slate is arranged in horizontal layers. Due to the availability of new materials,a completely different approach was adopted for the gable roofs, which appear to have a light “blanket” laid over them as a protective shield against sun and rain. At the front (west) of the site, an opening leads to a common service area for the nine townhouses. From here, follow- ing the old plan, a bridge connects the front of the site to the back (east).
A colorful painting by Teguh Ostenrik brightens the almost monochromatic palette of the living room on the ground floor and the circulation corridors above bordering the void.
The bright and seamless living room is the center of the house, its concrete columns soar- ing to the sun-catching forms above, its glass wall openings bringing in views of the outside.
The dining area, placed strategically next to the kitchen, overlooks the gardens. The large glass-topped dining table com- bines beautifully with a set of lightweight chairs of molded plywood and stainless steel.
Across the bridge, a lush garden provides a pleasant transition between the creek and the new main house, illustrated here, which is placed in the V-shaped wedge on the east side of the triangle.The house is laid out as a series of rectangular boxes running parallel to the creek, starting from a long, thin, rectangular box on the creek side to wider but shorter boxes towards the back.
The rectangular boxes placed on the left (south) of the site, adjacent to the creek, contain the service areas of the house—the garage, guards’ and servants’ quarters, laundry room, and kitchen—while also serving as a protective birm alongside the creek.The rest of the house takes shape towards the right side, where the site is wider before it tapers to a triangular point at the north end. While the service birm shields the main house from the townhouses on the west bank of the river, an old tree provides an addi- tional screen, protecting the main house from the outside.
The most distinctive architectural feature of the house is its roof. Formed of thin concrete, it appears like a series of flexible flaps that have been lifted up to to form an elegant curve, allowing for openings on the raised side of the flaps.The curvilinear “sun catchers” redirect the sun’s rays and provide indirect light inside the building.The main sun catcher hovers over the long and narrow double- height living space, while five smaller ones are placed over the games room and the three bedrooms on the second story.They allow light to enter all the rooms even though the windows are shielded with curtains.
The swimming pool below the “tail” of the house was designed to appear to mean- der into the site from the creek. The wood planks on the deck are echoed on the ceiling, which is dotted with lights for nighttime swimming. The profiles of the Acupunto chairs, designed by father and son team Yos and Leonard Theosabrata, harmonize perfectly with the curving pool.
A casual sitting and music area, located at one end of the living room, continues out to a wood-floored terrace, swimming pool, and the gardens beyond.The azure swim- ming pool appears to emerge from the creek, entering the grounds on the right-hand corner of the house, before meandering into the wood-covered terrace.The impression that the pool emerges from the creek is further enhanced by the use of a ramp, rather than steps, for a gentle transi- tion rather than a sudden drop from the terrace into the pool. A fish pond in the garden in front of the diningroom, adjacent to the river, is the architect’s attempt to incorporate another river element into the site.
A staircase between the dining and living spaces leads to the rooms on the second floor. Along the main “spine,” one bedroom is set at the “head,” facing the front of the house, while a games room and another bedroom are ar- ranged at the “tail,” raised on pilotis above the swimming pool and gardens.
The staircase connecting the first and second floors turns towards the “spine” of the house at the back of the site, visible through the full-length windows.
The plans of the first.
floors show the location of the house on its wedge-shaped site to the east of the Krukuk creek. The service areas on the first floor are to the left (south), while the house proper occupies the triangular section to the right (north).
Post a Comment for "Howard House, Budiman Hendropurnomo and Dicky Hendrasto Architects "