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Architects: Aboday Architects
- Area: 566 m²
- Year: 2010
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Photographs:Happy Lim
Text description provided by the architects. DMHQ Building located in southern part of Jakarta, in the area where large residential houses mix with small office activities. Build to accommodate a medium family business with 15 strong staff, it appears as 5 individual tiny buildings, arrange within the surrounding lust greeneries in this 450 sqm land. Land limitation means that rooms have to be squeezed to fill the maximum allowable building coverage. Punctuated by enclose garden and water body, the working areas arranged to provide the staff with something akin to the free interpretation of space; it can be used for working or enjoyment, entertaining or meeting, separation or connection.
The sequence of free interpretation starts on the grass staircase cut beneath 2 elevated cubes, connecting people to the lobby area from the parking spaces. The 2.5 m incision between the main building and carpark level provides open ventilation for the room at semi basement level. With green wall as divider and trees peeking out beyond it, the building appears friendly to its surrounding neighbor. The relatively small lobby visually open towards its surrounding, provides people with sense of orientation and freedom to choreograph their own experience. At the end of this rectangular space there’s a set of staircase as a mean of vertical connection. Upper floor contains of spacious meeting rooms with private room for director and senior staff, below are all supporting rooms (staff room and spacious praying room for mostly Moslem staff). Perpendicular to the reception counter is a naturally ventilated bridge marking the transition of public space with more private areas of working rooms on the rear side of the buildings.
To stimulate staff of producing optimum results in this new office, client encourages them to participate on the design process. The result is fluid spaces that can be utilized to maximize interaction between staff. Plenty of sitting areas, corridor and other nook and crannies thoughtfully inserted for staff to chat, lunching together, walking to the grassy garden or just relax during the lunch break.
The use of mainly textured painted wall and low iron glass on the exterior, displaying a gesture of minimum intervention towards nature, while some surfaces with punctured GRC veil creates element of excitement on this predominantly white building.
