3x3 House

Set in suburban Kuala Lumpur on a 800m² corner plot, the design of the 500m² house started with 2 goals: Comfort and Privacy. To create comfort, it is important to combat the intense solar heat, especially on the house’s primary west facing façade, which also faces the main street. Inspired by the vernacular Southeast Asian colonial courtyard house, which always contain an internal courtyard to allow hot air to rise to the top, the resulting atrium design makes an internally focused design that gives great privacy to this sub-urban context. The atrium is occupied by the dining space at the bottom, and has large openings on all 3 levels to visually connect all the spaces. A sculptural stair of glass and concrete inspired by the artist M. C. Escher forms one edge of the atrium, adding transparency and fluidity to the space, while making the rising and descending steps a visual intrigue. To further shield the house from heat, the west façade and north-west corner are covered by a layer of vertical aluminum fins which also give privacy to the terraces. An overhanging insulated metal roof provides further shading to the house.

The 3 levels serves 3 distinct functional needs of Live, Rest and Play. On the ground level is the living and dining spaces with a feature bar of brass and marble designed by Lim and Lu. The second level contains 4 bedrooms, a family den and a study. The third level is a U shaped open space with the gym on one side and games on the other. A full height glass wall on the north side of the atrium brings in soft daylight to the entire house.

A simple interior finishes palette of white washed walls, exposed cement, and wood grained floor tiles makes for easy maintenance. A blue color group of curtains wraps the entire 3 level of the atrium to provide visual privacy and flexibility to the use of the spaces.