Located in suburban area of South Jakarta, Rumah Sisik Batu—translated as a house with stone scale (or skin)—is a recently finished renovation project by ArMS. Prominent use of basalt as the building envelope is evident even at the house’s parking space and a security post located at the front. Muhammad Sagitha of ArMS pointed out that the inspiration behind the project’s name was from the angled and layered arrangement of basalt pieces that resembles animal scales.
In the northeastern part of Kuala Lumpur, real estate development with semi-detached houses were the norm for some twenty years ago. Although houses were built with quite a spacious outdoor area for each lot, the division of the outdoor and indoor area were apparent. Eleena Jamil Architect had the chance to renovate one of these units and create better connection of the house interior with its surrounding.