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Architects: Bada Studio
- Area: 234 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Iker Zuñiga (@pempki)
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Lead Architects: Made Dirgantara, Maurizio Moeis
Text description provided by the architects. The clients, Tijn & Raisa, wanted a private villa for the 2 of them and their 2 dogs. They aimed for a home that was comfortable yet at the same time was able to host friends and families. With these considerations, they requested a shared kitchen, an open dining room, a living room that could expand, an outdoor terrace, and a swimming pool with decking. In the early discussions, they explained their profound love for wooden buildings highlighting a blend of Indonesian tradition & minimal yet homey aesthetics.
We fell in love with the site as we found a whole ecosystem of mature trees, sloping steeply down in search of the flowing water from a small river at the bottom of the site. Behind, where we first found an entrance, an open rice paddy field bordered by coconut trees. Exactly as one imagines Bali. The land reflected strong and comfortable energy, like the kind of sheltered place you want to arrive at when you go on a hike through the forest, and we wanted to reflect this into the design.
As one of the core principles in our design philosophy, our mission was to preserve what nature has given. All mature trees are untouched and incorporated into the design. The house feels like it has been there forever. In addition to the idea of preserving what nature has given, we added numerous tropical plants to add biodiversity.
As we take inspiration from the locality, for Rumah Haruku we got inspired by the traditional long-house of Borneo ("Rumah Panjang"), a long narrow-shaped house stilted in the middle of the Borneo rainforest. The materiality was inspired by traditional Indonesian architecture reflected in the use of locally sourced materials together with the Balinese-inspired hipped roof known as "Grantang". The roof structure is supported by Bangkirai wood and covered with "sirap ulin" wooden shingles. Doors and Windows, wall panels, and wooden flooring use the same Bangkirai wood to have a synergy in the whole architecture. The shower and kitchen floors are covered with terrazzo flooring combined with custom-made cement tiles applied to the walls.
One unique material we used is "karpet lontar", a material traditionally used for floor coverings in Balinese ceremonies. At Rumah Haruku it became the ceiling of the whole house creating a contrast of texture and colour.
Another main feature of the house is the expandable living space, also inspired by "Rumah Panjang's" design where the surrounding corridors are used for communal activities. The space is completely openable creating an intimate connection between the interior and the surrounding tropical nature. When opened, the bench railing surrounding the living space doubles as additional seating which allows the living room to enlarge for an expanded gathering space.
