Gale’s Residence
GALE’S RESIDENCE
Gibert&Tan
DESIGN TEAM
Yong Hon Weng, Lye Jocelyn
LOCATION
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
AREA
120 m²
CATEGORY
Houses
Text description provided by architect.
To this were added the owner’s eclectic furnishing and tasteful collection of artworks that all come together to create a unique bespoke home that oozes charm and character. By removing partition walls and reinstating the central yard (that had been condemned by previous owners) we were then able to create a generous and bright open-plan interior.
The final decision to up-cycle and to dwell in optimizing the one-storey model resulted from the owner’s desire to enhance the building’s original character.
The brief was to reconfigure the layout and to transform an interior that was dark, cloistered, and suffered from many poorly designed spaces; into one that feels bright, spacious, and well organized. In this process, we also retained and buffed the existing terrazzo floors at the dining area and the former living room restored existing ventilation blocks and reclaimed metal grille elements at all openings.
The revisited layout now divides the house neatly into two distinctive zones, the living, dining, kitchen, and other common spaces on one side, and bedrooms and bathrooms on the other.
By opening up the ceiling, we have also provided the house with an enhanced sense of loftiness. While retaining the original frame, important interventions were made to accommodate the new owner’s requirements.
Overall our intervention has been much about contrasts; the relation to the street is about privacy, with tall brick walls thus creating a boundary, while the interior opens up fully to the garden view with large expanses of glass.
To add a sense of harmony and comfort, we also looked at Southeast Asian vernacular passive cooling techniques that allow occupants to feel comfortable throughout the day (despite harsh temperatures and humidity typical of the tropics).
One enters the front door (a full-width bi-folding window that maintains full visual continuity with the front garden) to an open plan whereby the house common areas are subtly segmented into several ‘micro spaces’ through furniture and changes in floor finishes.
Essentially the various up-cycled aspects of Gale’s Residence together with the reinstated vernacular passive cooling methods are proof that the single-story terrace typology remains a suited model to live with optimum comfort in the city.
At the onset, lengthy conversations took place with the owner to either up-cycle the existing frame or instead extend with a second floor (a common scenario in the region with the underlying motive to optimize value).
Gale’s Residence is a complete remodeling of a 1970s terrace house located in a hilly suburb of Kuala Lumpur. Where the exterior is mainly clay bricks with black painted steel, the interior is filled with light-reflecting on various colors and textures.
The house as a result offers the opportunity to enjoy bright open spaces while still allowing for reclusive quiet moments off its immediate surroundings. The main device to that effect lies within a central yard that functions simultaneously as a light well, a ventilation shaft, and a connector between the different spaces of the house.
