Formzero Architecture

The Window House

The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography

THE WINDOW HOUSE

Formzero

ARCHITECTS
Formzero

ARCHITECT IN CHARGE
Cherng Yih Lee

MANUFACTURERS
Jotun, Bubbledeck, SKK, Zacklim, Netwood

PHOTOGRAPHY
Ronson Lee - Twins Photography

AREA
900.0 m2

YEAR
2017

LOCATION
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

CATEGORY
Houses

Text description provided by architect.

The concept of The Window House starts with two fundamental questions.

The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography

When a proposed house is sited right on the edge of a reserved forest, a seamless correspondence between the house and the nature shall become the priority of the design.

On the contrary, what if the house owner has expressed no interest in the outdoor space or the nature but rather maximising the interior volume as part of the design brief? This paradoxical situation is adversely transformed into an inspirational thought.

The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography

Window is probably the most direct element that define our relationship with the outdoor space.

When a house is surrounded by other houses, such relationship is immediately disjoined by just dropping down a curtain.

The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography

How can we restore such relationship with the outdoor space without compromising our privacy?

To answer these questions, the design concept of The Window House departed with three tectonic approaches through the manipulation of the form and function of window.

The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography

By doing so, the ultimate aim of this project is to strengthen the house owner’s bonding with the existing context without diluting the design brief.

CONCRETE SHELL

From east to west, this house is wrapped in an additional layer of perforated concrete wall which appears like a shell.

The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography

Apart from acting as a thermal protection with cross ventilation, the shell is the first layer to control the privacy. Between the house and the concrete shell, multi-level of landscape is inserted in order to create an ambiguous condition which makes the landscape to appear more like an indoor space.

TELESCOPING FORM

The concrete shell is shaped in a telescoping form. It is tapered at the front, widened towards the forest in both plan and section, like creating a giant window frame to look out to the forest. At the same time the tapered front facade is projected to the street that creates a more human scale house.

WINDOWS FOLLOW FUNCTIONS

Rooms with different functions deserve different windows. To create specific viewing experience for each room, the proportion and the position of each window on the north and south facade are derived out of the function of each room.

The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography

Instead of imposing an arbitrary aesthetic, the facade therefore becomes a collective expression of each room.  In addition to enhancing the quality of framing view, the windows are outlined with deepened eaves, every scenery is captured in a picture frame.


The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography


The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography
The Window House
© Ronson Lee - Twins Photography


The Window House
Modal
The Window House
Section


The Window House
Diagram
The Window House
Diagram
The Window House
Diagram
The Window House
Diagram


The Window House
Site plan
The Window House
Ground floor plan
The Window House
Floor plans


The Window House
Elevations

Formzero Architecture
T +60 3 79711045 F +60 3 79801145
Formzero Architecture
14-1,&nbsp, Jalan 3/109c, Taman Abadi Indah, 58100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia