Problem solved in creating a home comfort zone
Problem solved in creating a home comfort zone
Maria Endah Hulupi
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Call it the day-after blues: The initial excitement of securing a
piece of land of their own can quickly be overshdowed by a
feeling of disheartenment for some prospective home owners.
It was the situation faced by a couple who bought a plot in
Ragunan, South Jakarta, who feared that various unforeseen
problems might thwart their dream of creating a comfortable,
healthy house.
Problem number one was the owners' ignorance of the
government's regulation on setback lines, regulating the
permitted distance between a house and the street.
It meant a significant decrease in the original building site.
The property's 15 x 30 meters (450 square meters) only had an
effective building site of around 4.5 x 22 meters (99 square
meters) under the regulation.
Another problem was that part of the property had been used as
a dump by local residents.
The owners hired architect Adi Purnomo to help them accomplish
their plan to build their home by overcoming the difficulties and
not creating any additional ones in the process.
"My plan was to design a realistic home without sacrificing
the house owners' needs amid the unfavorable conditions," Adi
said.
The result is a comfortable two-story house that perfectly
blends in with its surroundings. The narrow, rectangular house is
an architectural bridge between the plush residences at one end
of the main street and simple, kampong-style dwellings at the
other.
There are three bedrooms, including a master bedroom; a
multifunction room that serves as a living room, sitting area or
family room; dining room; kitchen; study; garage and service
area; and servant's bedroom.
Considering the space limitations, most areas in the house are
designed to ensure flexibility in accommodating other functions.
"Even the garage can also serve as a play area during the day
and the garden can transform into a playground for children in
the neighborhood," Adi said.
The front gate leads to the garage, and on the right is the
entrance door to the multifunction room where the owners can
receive their guests.
"The service area is designed for the first floor, and the
second floor is for the owners to maintain their privacy," Adi
said.
In order to create a spacious impression, the architect used
large windows and glass doors along the front side of the house
to provide clear views to the garden.
The large windows allow for natural sunlight and are opened
for good ventilation. For optimal use of the building site, Adi
designed cantilevered balconies on the second floor.
Main materials used to build the house include glass, parquet
to line the first floor, timber for the railings and staircase,
tiles for the second story and metal for the roof.
"There is a gap between the metal roof and the house wall from
which fresh air penetrates and heat escapes from inside the
house," Adi explained.
The front garden is planted with tropical plants, like bamboo
and philodendron, but Adi said the owners also planned to grow
other plants like mango and banana trees.
"I encouraged them to create a small yet lush bamboo forest,
which will help screen the house from passersby on the street and
provide a little greenery for the interior."
The house owners also decided to set aside a piece of their
land as a temporary disposal site to help solve the neighborhood
garbage problem. The dump, Adi explained, was relocated away from
the house living space to a corner near the street.
"A properly planned landscape arrangement, like planting tall
trees along the fence, spares the house owners from the
unfavorable sight of the dumping area," he said.
Fragrant plants have been planted around the dump, and it is
doused with water at garbage removal time.
"But (managing) this site requires local responsibility and
participation to keep the dump neat and unoffensive. This way it
won't pollute the air or be an eye-sore."