Modern tropical

The soft clean lines, the subtle textures of the surfaces reflect the simplicity of the minimalistic architectural design of this modern beach villa in the southern coast of Sri Lanka. The Summer House consists of two floor levels with open living and dining spaces, 4 standard en-suite bedrooms, a master suite, a roof terrace lounge and bar. Sadun De Silva All inhabited spaces are provided with an infinite view of the ocean with the used of tall glazed windows. The framework of the windows is of white aluminium powder coat finish, which blends in with its neutral surrounding. The white interior and exterior finishes to the villa in Ambalangoda and its minimalist landscape completes the overall tropical feel. The introduction of the op... More

Situated in a suburban residential area in Nawala, the site setting was ideal for a close-knit family. The overall architectural design of the residence takes a modern yet humble look and feel. Spreading across 3 floor levels, the common living lounge, pantry and dining, home office, and a guest bedroom is designed on the ground floor and family member’s bedrooms with en-suite washrooms on the first. The studio space on the roof top level was exquisitely designed for indoor and outdoor entertainment. Caption The richness of the residence is brought about by the use of subtle details such as the timber wall cladding which wraps around wide bear walls which further provides the interior a warm outlook. A similar groove details has... More

The architectural design of the residence is a combination of  modern design details, maintaining the traditional elements. Situated in Colombo 7, the residence consists of a wide road frontage. The design aesthetic of the facade was critical ensuring the privacy of interior spaces whilst maintaining a methodical architectural language throughout the residence. The use of timber trellis work between the first floor level column grid severed the monotony from the ground level solid boundary wall, and further elevated the building facade. The magnificent mango and Araliya trees that protrude through the trellis facade softens the exterior appearance whilst adding a layer of natural shade to the residence. Amila Rathnayake The open... More

House No.16 is located in Damansara Heights, a leafy residential suburb in Kuala Lumpur. The client is a young couple and their lovely pets. They had acquired an old 1970s bungalow that had been vacant for some time. The brief was to refurbish and add new living spaces to accommodate their needs Caption The old basic two storey bungalow had a small simple rectangle plan. It was constructed in a combination of RC slab flooring but also had certain upper floor areas with timber joists and floor boards. This gave the opportunity to conceptualise a clean modern intervention into the old structure whilst still achieving an industrial vibe. One long side of the house has a 6m high retaining wall which provided good privacy and the opportuni... More

The MTH Clubhouse is a facility from the Mawar Townhouse to carry out sports activities and semi-private meeting rooms. The clubhouse is the only communal building in this townhouse area, with swimming pool facilities, a mini basketball court, fitness room, yoga room, and a meeting room.  Astungkara Handyan A Initially, this townhouse was intended for international expatriates before finally being sold to the public. Mawar Townhouse is designed with modern and tropical style houses, so this clubhouse design strives to maintain the harmony of the style.  Astungkara Handyan A The site is the remaining land from the townhouse with an L-shaped building mass. The advantage of the L shape is that this building seems to welco... More

Four Seasons Resort Seychelles offers enchanting villas and suites, fine dining, a luxury spa and more in a secluded tropical setting along the Petite Anse Bay. More

Traditional Kerala homes are rich in memories; of the long-forgotten smell of the first rain, the sound of raindrops falling in the courtyard, people sitting and conversing around it, the feeling of the warmth of mud walls and wood,  the coziness of spaces;  one may find him or herself drifting into their nostalgic memories of yesteryears every once in a while.   'Kecherile Veedu' is an attempt at recalling these memories.    As a home for an elderly couple enjoying their retirement, all the spaces are limited to a single floor, easing their movement within the house.  Despite being tightly packed in an odd-shaped 11 cent plot, the two triangular sky courts make the spaces airy and well lit. These courts ar... More

The difference in levels between the front and back of the site created opportunities for a basement with entry directly from the main road, an elevated guest suite with a private garden and separate access from the rear and a first storey living space that has visual privacy from the main road. There are two entries to the main level: a homecoming one through the basement hallway, and the contemplative access via a series of garden steps flanked by ponds and planters. The L-shape form of the house provides a natural enclosure to a courtyard-like garden enclosed by high retaining walls at the side and rear. The L-shape form also means that every room and corridor has openings to the external. The living, dining and kitchen spaces form an... More

HAUS 18 is a private residence in Chiangrai, designed for a family who wants to break away from living in a confined space of shophouse but still wants a harmonious merge between the workspace and living space. The design of HAUS 18 intends to create sense of coziness, play with levels of privacy and provide the ultimate comfort of tropical living.  (Coziness)  The layout of the house is arranged in T-shape so all rooms have at least two sides which are in-touch with the outdoor greenery and fully taking-in natural light. The extrusion of blocks creates semi-outdoor veranda which acts as a transition between inside and outside, making the house more opened and relaxed. Using post tension structure, the span can be longer which r... More

Set snugly into the very steep terrain, this house hugs the natural contours of the site. In a gesture reminiscent of water pooling and streaming down the slopes of a valley, the house features a series of three ponds. Rain water collected on the roof of the house is channelled into the first and uppermost pond which overflows into a creek down the slope into the second pond, before cascading into the third one at the bottom. At each pond, the water collected is used for irrigation of the garden. The swimming pool is at the heart of this L-shape house, and the path of the rainwater channelling. In response to the existing terrain, numerous steep slopes had to be cut to accommodate the built-in components of the house. However, we... More

Located in a dense residential area of Bandung, Indonesia, RD - HOUSE is designed to build a modern tropical house with a combination of box shape and floating roof. The face of the building is made to be distorted by being dominated by the use of andesite stone and wooden planks combined with large transparent and translucent glass on the second floor.   Constructed on an elongated plot of land with 9 x 25 meters area, makes this site unique and it also poses challenges in completing its design. The challenge is for making a compact house that allows lot of sunlight to penetrates through the house, has good cross-ventilation, and an interesting circulation pattern whilst keep maintaining the privacy of its residents.   ... More

House68 is a private family residence. The house is designed as a series of modern pavilions connected by large open terraces and water gardens. Each pavilion differs programmatically and allows for the large home to be sectionalized. A guest pavilion, an entertainment pavilion, a living pavilion and a service pavilion; each of which functions independently and may be sectionalized and closed off when not in use. This flexibility allows for the house to conform and to adapt to the changing needs of the family.   The design brief required that the house is able to adapt to the changing needs of a growing family for the coming years. The actual members of the family that will be staying in on a daily basis will change when their childr... More

The site at the edge of a forest provides the verdant setting for the house. The brief for the house is to achieve the ultimate outdoor living with connections to the gardens from all rooms. The U-shape plan is built round a courtyard flanked by a lap pool on one side. The green landscape permeates all around and through the house. One of the gardens at the side which is at a higher level cascades down through the living room and courtyard, and out onto the garden beyond. This particular garden also ensures that the second-storey rooms enjoy vantage views of the greenery. Stretching the entire length of the site, the pool is similarly enveloped in a green strip planted with an assortment of trees and shrubs. The sculptural green landsc... More

This project is a conversation between Architecture and Nature. Set in the middle of a dense forest, the house pivots around a tree with its spaces shifting and stacking around it responding to its immediate context. The idea of the SHIFT-ing Earth stems from its response to its context. Change in context brings about change in the response. Such core contextual parameters were identified and synthesized into an algorithm that can be applied to different contexts producing different outcomes. This process helped us to populate the structures over the site of the township with unique solutions for every individual plot responding to parameters like Sun, Wind and Vista.  We looked into one such plot and explored more in the detail on th... More