Cascading House

Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya

Cascading House 

Tamara Wibowo Architects

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Tamara Wibowo

PROJECT ARCHITECT AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
Adi Iman Wicaksono

MANUFACTURERS
Allure, Artisan Rugs, Bo Concept, Flos, Forme, Lantekayu, Moire Rugs, Saniharto, Toto

POOL CONTRACTOR
Bluepool

INTERIOR CONTRACTOR
Diorrama Cipta Pratama

SCHEMATIC DESIGN
Rieza Amalia

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Rieza Amalia, Luthfitria Afra

CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS
Berda Karendra Putra, Claudia Kondoy

AREA
450 M²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Semarang, Indonesia

CATEGORY
Houses

Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya

Text description provided by architect.

Hidden behind several mature trees around the site, an unassuming concrete house nestled behind a long row of vertical wooden fence configuration.

Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya
Cascading House
© Mario Wibowo

It is not easy to see the house on the street level because the house follows the topography of the street.

The difference between the highest level of the street to the lowest level of the street is five meter, while the land of the house has a difference of three meters.

Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya
Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya

Instead of making itself stands out from the site, the house appropriates itself to blend in with the topography of the site thus the term cascading house fits with the way the house physically arranged and thus experienced.

The house is designed for a young couple with two small children as their second home away from their main house in Jakarta.

Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya
Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya

Their main requirement is a simple house with four bedrooms, living area and service area that embody a functional and comfortable living.

Having studied the site, the design was immediately inspired by the topography of the site.

The site was divided into three levels on which the three main programs were placed: service and garage was placed on the highest level of the site, the living area was placed in the middle and on the lowest level was the four bedrooms arranged in two levels.

Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya
Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya

The three masses cascade down the site so the height of the bedrooms mass is the same as the service mass.

Two courtyards of the same size were placed in-between the three levels and three massing creating a transition space in which the stairs are located.

The courtyards serve as a source of light and air for the adjacent masses especially the middle living areas.

Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya
Cascading House
© Mario Wibowo

Besides the courtyards, a reflecting pool is added adjacent to the living room to bring cooler air into the house.

The reflecting pool further flows down becoming a waterfall on the lowest level of the site constantly creating splashing sound of water throughout the house.

Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya
Cascading House
© Mario Wibowo

Despite being in the middle, the living areas were able to breath with the tall and wide openings towards the pool and the courtyards.

Two main materials, site cast concrete and wood, dominate the house. The juxtaposition between the coldness of grey concrete and the warmness of the wood creates a comfortable living space. The two materials continue from outside to inside of the house creating an uninterrupted spatial experience.

Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya
Cascading House

The continuity of materials also creates a sense of cohesiveness throughout the architecture of the house. The 1.1m x 2.2 m was the module of the site cast concrete pattern.

This pattern drives the way the masses are arranged vertically throughout the site. Balconies are provided as a transition space between inside and outside for the upper bedrooms.

Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya
Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya

The terraces on the lower level of the bedrooms further open up towards a sunken garden gathering space.

The characteristics of the site was utilized to be the principal design idea of the house that from the beginning of the design process drove the arrangement of the house geometrically based on functions.

Not only did it produce an architecture that is specific to the site but also created a comfortable and functional home that is rich with spatial interconnectedness of multiple levels with different light qualities and shadows.

Cascading House
© Fernando Gomulya
Cascading House
© Mario Wibowo
Cascading House

These experiences were unified by the two consistent materials used throughout making the house complex yet simple.


Cascading House
Plan - 1st floor
Cascading House
Plan - 2nd floor
Cascading House
Plan - 3rd floor


Cascading House
Diagram Daylight 01
Cascading House
Diagram Daylight 02


Cascading House
Diagram 01
Cascading House
Diagram 02
Cascading House
Diagram 03
Cascading House
Diagram 04
Cascading House
Diagram 05
Cascading House
Diagram 06
Cascading House
Diagram 07
Cascading House
Diagram 08


Cascading House
Diagram Airflow 01
Cascading House
Diagram Airflow 02