KVI Notary Office Presents Playful Character Inspired by Jenga Blocks

Situated in a low-density neighbourhood in the outskirt of Jakarta, a three-storey office stands in the corner of a housing block overlooking a busy intersection. Benefitting from an unobstructed view of the street, the designer—Studio Kota—translated the building into a pleasant work environment for the employees as well as to provide a warm reception for visiting clients.

Inspired by Jenga blocks and checker board, these programmatic cubes are strategically placed within the building envelope to create an alternating indoor-outdoor, opaque-transparent situation. It would be an interesting experience to stroll through series of space with different spatial quality within the same building.

The solid-void composition on the facade shows how the subtractions strategy playout in the building mass. The indentation on the façade not only contributes to composition but also gives enough depth for shading and cover from the rain. In terms of natural lighting; some rooms are benefited from basic window fenestration while others get the daylight from perimeter skylight. This simple strategy is applied strategically to different rooms due to its specific program.

Offices and meeting room are the main programs for this building. First floor of the building is dedicated for client reception and meeting rooms while second and third floor are mainly for work area. Single flight stairs are the main vertical circulation in the building; elevator and ramps are also added for disability access.

Outdoor terraces are added on the third floor of the building overlooking the surrounding neighbourhood. This addition to the work environment functions as break area for the staffs which contributes to the well-being and productivity of the staffs.

Concrete, wood and steel are the main materials used in the project. The grooved concrete facade is selected to complement the strong presence of the cubes, to glorify the abstractness of the form. The clarity of facade’s texture can be seen when shadow casted on the grooves. Touch of warm element from the wood in the interior space balances the cold and brutalist feeling of the concrete.