Separate but equal: Crating a homey shop-house

Separate but equal: Crating a homey shop-house

Maria Endah Hulupi, Contributor, Jakarta

A noisy, activity-filled shop-house does not seem an ideal place
to set up a comfortable home.

But that is not the case for a family living in Pondok Gede,
East Jakarta. With the help of architect Gregorius Supie Yolodi,
they have been able to create a homey space atop their busy
store.

Standing on a 643 sq m plot of land, the two-story shop-house
is divided into a shop and storage area occupying the ground
floor, and the living quarters on the second.

The objective was to create a design that provided a seamless
separation between the shop owner's private life upstairs and the
commercial activities down below.

"Apart from practical and security reasons, living in a
shop-house allows the owners to supervise all activities in their
store. On the other hand, they also need a comfortable and
tranquil home where they can rest and get away from the
business," Supie said.

From the outside, neighbors and shoppers would be unaware that
there is a simply designed but comfortable home for the show
owner's family.

The entrance to the living quarters is through a stairway
leading to the living room. The staircase is tucked at the end of
the access way, next to a loading area where trucks periodically
drop off supplies for the shop storage.

"From the stairway, the shop owner can easily control delivery
of supplies. In the evening when the shop is closed, this access
way also serves as a garage," the architect explained.

On the second story, a soothing view from the reflecting pool
along the corridor radiates a totally different atmosphere from
the bustling shop and the packed loading area.

"There was not much of a view from the second floor and one of
the challenges was to create a pleasant scene at the site that
would make the living area comfortable and relaxing," Supie said.

The corridor is separated from the reflecting pool with a wall
screen with vertical strips. The pool is actually an open space
that connects the shop owner's living area to the adjacent house
of their relatives.

"The pool is more like a shared open space that connects the
two families, but privacy is maintained by the use of the wall
screen."

A plain open area, the reflecting pool is simply adorned with
coral stones and potted papyrus plants. The plants and several
bamboo plants screen the unsightly view to the street below and
at the same time provide greenery.

Along the corridor are the children's bedrooms, a study and
the master bedroom at one end. The architect created a void space
shielded with glass to allow sunlight to penetrate into the
interior.

Every part of the living area is properly ventilated, with
each room given a huge opening that enhances a sense of
spaciousness.

The master bedroom is equipped with a simple yet functional
shower, set up next to a small dry garden. The garden separates
the shower in the master bedroom with another one. Like the
reflecting pool, the garden, only accessible through the bedroom,
has loose coral stones and grass-like plants along its sides.

Supie said the bathrooms enabled cross ventilation, sun
penetration and gave a peek to the outside.

The architect used low maintenance, local materials, such as
marble, for the floor and glass. "The rest is just plastered
wall, nothing that needs special care," he added.

The study, located next to one of the two children's bedrooms,
has a generous opening overseeing the pool. In order to optimize
the utilization of space, the architect added a huge window with
a ledge that can double as a seat when opened.

Since the shop employees live in separate living quarters on
site, the wet kitchen is easily accessed from the ground floor
while ensuring the owner's privacy is maintained.

It was a tough task to keep the shop-house in business during
the renovation of the upper floor.

"The shop was open during construction and we tried not to
disturb the flow of work during the process. It was quite
challenging," said Supie.