Haus Flora / Alexis Dornier

Curated by María Francisca González

Architects: Alexis Dornier
Area: 717 m²
Year: 2019
Photographs:KIE, Akhil Hari
Architectural Design: Alexis Dornier
Construction: Bali Construction

Text description provided by the architects. This 4 bedroom bungalow is submerged into it’s surrounding - the picturesque landscape with rice fields, coconut and palm trees of Bali sets the scene for an understated architecture with surprise. The family home consists of rooms that are separated by greenery and lush foliage. Building elements such as pillars, windows, and walls become visually entangled with trees and bushes, fountains and sculptures - and blend into one memorable event.

Materials are chosen so they would amplify this submersion. Natural green stone tiles become the predominant material that pronounces the volumes. Inside surfaces are clad in wood, structural elements in white and floors tiled in natural stone as well.

With the diagram of a village in mind, rooms were planned to be separated by voids to provide both privacy and a sense of community in one floor plan. Rooms appear more like studios, and their interiors juxtapose the cold facade materials with warm wooden textured backdrops.

The voids hold greenery, and rooms connect with elevated pathways. In the choreography’s heart one finds the kitchen. From here the pathways disperse into all directions. A centrally located flight of stairs connects to the new datum above - the composition creates a series of courtyards. When discovering the rooms, there is constant interplay of interior and exterior spaces.

Making use of their passive cooling attributes, trees become the conceptual center pieces, and their branches and leaves filter light into the spaces below. The pool and sun decks are situated on top of the living room and bedrooms, and provide views onto the lush surrounding rice paddies and constitute a new datum. The 271 m2 roof provides enough space for solar panels, a vegetable garden and a spacious area for events underneath the stars.

Traditional ‘Gladak’ grass roofed structures stand on top, taking any attention off the main building. This was an attempt to produce timeless reductive architecture, to be crowned by simple grass roof structures providing shade and resting areas. They become the remarkable aspect of the design draw the silhouette against the sky.