This house was built on the hills of Kuala Lumpur called Ukay Heights. The steep site’s main feature was the existing huge rain trees nearly a hundred feet tall with spread out canopies dominating the site.
Being up on the hill with its jungle like setting the temperatures are a little cooler than the city. Hence the design priority was to preserve its natural surroundings and take advantage of the cool breeze that permeate its surroundings. The site is a very steep slope (Class 3 and 4) and therefore required approval from various Hill-slope departments and extra attention was required to comply with the guidelines in order to obtain the approvals. In order to preserve the existing slope with minimum cuts the structure was designed that appear to “perch” on the ground or almost levitate above it. The big shady trees and its canopy gave birth to the idea of a large canopy in which all the habitable spaces would be arranged under the it’s protection which shields the interiors from the heat whilst still capturing the breeze and views though carefully arranged apertures and openings.
All effort were taken to preserve the existing trees to the extent that cables were tied around the tree trunks and connected to the ground through a series of micropiles to stabilise the tree and prevent it from swaying towards the house in the event of a storm. Unfortunately 2 trees didn’t survive the construction probably due to the stress; however the ones that survived have created a tropical forest setting in which the house now stands, complimenting it.
The house was designed for a family of 3 with additional bedrooms for the in-laws with a Gross built-up of just over 10,000 sq ft. The brief called for a home where the residents could enjoy the outdoors whilst enjoying the views out to parts of the city beyond.
As the access of the house from the top of the slope, the house cascaded down with the slope over 4 levels down. At the road level the house appeared as driveway that led to the carporch and the house dramatically ‘disappears’ down the slope. The act of descending down the slope became the narrative of the journey in which spaces started to unravel. The internal spatial planning were planned in a linear logical manner to meet the client’s brief but the roof plan was deliberately designed to contrast this as if acting on its own set of laws. The roof became the canopy that shielded the structured spaces below interacting with the surroundings and topography. In the same way a tree’s canopy freely spreads out seeking the sun above it’s structured trunk, the roof canopy was designed to create shelter from the sun and rain extending its span almost touching the earth below. All the internal spaces looked up towards the sheltering canopy from the bedrooms, bathrooms and living spaces. The house was no longer defined by the internal programmatic spaces but by the metaphorical canopy. The structural I-beams supporting the timber lined canopy was revealed much like the structure of a leaf with the midrib branching out to veins that supports the epidermis.
Below the canopy, all spaces were designed to be completely open when required to the elements to absorb the cool breezes flowing up the hills with the central located pool acting as a natural evaporative cooler. The residents spend most of their time here below the sheltering sky of both the canopy of the house and the magnificent rain trees.
"There are no medium-sized trees in the deep forest. There are only the towering ones, whose canopy spreads across the sky. Below, in the gloom, there's light for nothing but mosses and ferns. But when a giant falls, leaving a little space ... then there's a race -- between the trees on either side, who want to spread out, and the seedlings below, who race to grow up. Sometimes, you can make your own space."
- Terry Pratchett, Small Gods
This house was built on the hills of Kuala Lumpur called Ukay Heights. The steep site’s main feature was the existing huge rain trees nearly a hundred feet tall with spread out canopies dominating the site.
Being up on the hill with its jungle like setting the temperatures are a little cooler than the city. Hence the design priority was to preserve its natural surroundings and take advantage of the cool breeze that permeate its surroundings. The site is a very steep slope (Class 3 and 4) and therefore required approval from various Hill-slope departments and extra attention was required to comply with the guidelines in order to obtain the approvals. In order to preserve the existing slope with minimum cuts the structure was designed that appear to “perch” on the ground or almost levitate above it. The big shady trees and its canopy gave birth to the idea of a large canopy in which all the habitable spaces would be arranged under the it’s protection which shields the interiors from the heat whilst still capturing the breeze and views though carefully arranged apertures and openings.
All effort were taken to preserve the existing trees to the extent that cables were tied around the tree trunks and connected to the ground through a series of micropiles to stabilise the tree and prevent it from swaying towards the house in the event of a storm. Unfortunately 2 trees didn’t survive the construction probably due to the stress; however the ones that survived have created a tropical forest setting in which the house now stands, complimenting it.
The house was designed for a family of 3 with additional bedrooms for the in-laws with a Gross built-up of just over 10,000 sq ft. The brief called for a home where the residents could enjoy the outdoors whilst enjoying the views out to parts of the city beyond.
As the access of the house from the top of the slope, the house cascaded down with the slope over 4 levels down. At the road level the house appeared as driveway that led to the carporch and the house dramatically ‘disappears’ down the slope. The act of descending down the slope became the narrative of the journey in which spaces started to unravel. The internal spatial planning were planned in a linear logical manner to meet the client’s brief but the roof plan was deliberately designed to contrast this as if acting on its own set of laws. The roof became the canopy that shielded the structured spaces below interacting with the surroundings and topography. In the same way a tree’s canopy freely spreads out seeking the sun above it’s structured trunk, the roof canopy was designed to create shelter from the sun and rain extending its span almost touching the earth below. All the internal spaces looked up towards the sheltering canopy from the bedrooms, bathrooms and living spaces. The house was no longer defined by the internal programmatic spaces but by the metaphorical canopy. The structural I-beams supporting the timber lined canopy was revealed much like the structure of a leaf with the midrib branching out to veins that supports the epidermis.
Below the canopy, all spaces were designed to be completely open when required to the elements to absorb the cool breezes flowing up the hills with the central located pool acting as a natural evaporative cooler. The residents spend most of their time here below the sheltering sky of both the canopy of the house and the magnificent rain trees.
"There are no medium-sized trees in the deep forest. There are only the towering ones, whose canopy spreads across the sky. Below, in the gloom, there's light for nothing but mosses and ferns. But when a giant falls, leaving a little space ... then there's a race -- between the trees on either side, who want to spread out, and the seedlings below, who race to grow up. Sometimes, you can make your own space."
- Terry Pratchett, Small Gods
This house was built on the hills of Kuala Lumpur called Ukay Heights. The steep site’s main feature was the existing huge rain trees nearly a hundred feet tall with spread out canopies dominating the site.
Being up on the hill with its jungle like setting the temperatures are a little cooler than the city. Hence the design priority was to preserve its natural surroundings and take advantage of the cool breeze that permeate its surroundings. The site is a very steep slope (Class 3 and 4) and therefore required approval from various Hill-slope departments and extra attention was required to comply with the guidelines in order to obtain the approvals. In order to preserve the existing slope with minimum cuts the structure was designed that appear to “perch” on the ground or almost levitate above it. The big shady trees and its canopy gave birth to the idea of a large canopy in which all the habitable spaces would be arranged under the it’s protection which shields the interiors from the heat whilst still capturing the breeze and views though carefully arranged apertures and openings.
All effort were taken to preserve the existing trees to the extent that cables were tied around the tree trunks and connected to the ground through a series of micropiles to stabilise the tree and prevent it from swaying towards the house in the event of a storm. Unfortunately 2 trees didn’t survive the construction probably due to the stress; however the ones that survived have created a tropical forest setting in which the house now stands, complimenting it.
The house was designed for a family of 3 with additional bedrooms for the in-laws with a Gross built-up of just over 10,000 sq ft. The brief called for a home where the residents could enjoy the outdoors whilst enjoying the views out to parts of the city beyond.
As the access of the house from the top of the slope, the house cascaded down with the slope over 4 levels down. At the road level the house appeared as driveway that led to the carporch and the house dramatically ‘disappears’ down the slope. The act of descending down the slope became the narrative of the journey in which spaces started to unravel. The internal spatial planning were planned in a linear logical manner to meet the client’s brief but the roof plan was deliberately designed to contrast this as if acting on its own set of laws. The roof became the canopy that shielded the structured spaces below interacting with the surroundings and topography. In the same way a tree’s canopy freely spreads out seeking the sun above it’s structured trunk, the roof canopy was designed to create shelter from the sun and rain extending its span almost touching the earth below. All the internal spaces looked up towards the sheltering canopy from the bedrooms, bathrooms and living spaces. The house was no longer defined by the internal programmatic spaces but by the metaphorical canopy. The structural I-beams supporting the timber lined canopy was revealed much like the structure of a leaf with the midrib branching out to veins that supports the epidermis.
Below the canopy, all spaces were designed to be completely open when required to the elements to absorb the cool breezes flowing up the hills with the central located pool acting as a natural evaporative cooler. The residents spend most of their time here below the sheltering sky of both the canopy of the house and the magnificent rain trees.
"There are no medium-sized trees in the deep forest. There are only the towering ones, whose canopy spreads across the sky. Below, in the gloom, there's light for nothing but mosses and ferns. But when a giant falls, leaving a little space ... then there's a race -- between the trees on either side, who want to spread out, and the seedlings below, who race to grow up. Sometimes, you can make your own space."
- Terry Pratchett, Small Gods
Malaysia
Australia
Hong Kong SAR
Indonesia
New Zealand
Philippines
Singapore
