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Another brilliant example of Green Architecture from Edric Choo Poo Liang and the O2 Design Studio. Edric shares with us his insights on the project and the interesting ideas implemented in it.
Background
The Terrace house is located in Sungai Buloh. It is situated in a standard lot with the size of 22'x75'. We were approached by a client, who challenged us with his idea to maximize the internal space of the house by extending it outwards front and rear. In addition the exterior of the house was supposed to adopt a contemporary design approach, integrated with lush garden, which would be in the same time a spot for parking cars.
The Result
Our first decision was to implement the Open plan Interior concept by connecting the living, dining and kitchen spaces and give large spatial effect to the terrace house. At the center of the house we created a double volume space with greenery, natural light, and shadow. We basically applied the Idea of revisiting Traditional Malaysian Courtyard house. We removed the original upper floor slab and replaced some of the existing roof tiles with clear polycarbonate roof tiles in order to bring in natural light.
Photo Credit: Edric Choo Poo Liang
Photo Credit: Edric Choo Poo Liang
Then we replaced the solid walls of the upper floor with sliding windows, so we could promote cross ventilation and user interaction between the two floors. This space has become the heart of the house where the family members interact in a natural setting.
Floor and wall cement finishes keep the monolithic effect by highlighting the quality of light, shadow, and space. Cement is a primitive material that has been used since old days in Malaysia. This has been enhanced delicately by a selected mixture of modern and antique wooden furniture.
At the upper floor, each bedroom is closely connected with greenery. The master bedroom has a front garden above the car porch. The master bathroom and the master bedroom are visually linked as one space, only separated by the curtain when needed.
In general we believe we achieved our first goal. This kind of housing is the future as it provides a strong connection to the nature. The use of natural materials helps fighting the pollution and the greenery and natural light enhance the energy efficiency of the house.
We are looking forward to O2 Design Atelier's next projects and to developing further the idea of Re-Thinking spaces.
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