S house: A House in Surabaya with the Concept of 7 'S', Fe

This house located in Surabaya is the result of the design by Simple Projects Architecture. With a land area of 295 square meters, this elongated house is well-designed. The house, named 'S,' holds various meanings as a concept to showcase the architect's experience through the design and construction process.

The first 'S' stands for 'start'. This house is designed in a high-density residential complex. Compared to other standard houses, this house offers a fresh perspective on modern housing. Naturally, the design encompasses aspects of comfort, efficiency, practicality, and is visually appealing. The design of the S house makes it stand out compared to other house designs.

'Small' which means small, presents an interesting challenge and experience for the architect in designing this house. With a size of 10m x 19m, the architect prioritized comfort and quality for each space. The design had to align with the needs of the homeowners. Here, the architect's role is to design a complete house with the necessary spaces while also efficiently utilizing the space for activities.

The two-story house has two zones: the public zone on the ground floor and the private zone on the second floor. Like most houses, the ground floor is dedicated to spaces like the living room, dining area, kitchen, bathroom, and a guest bedroom. In this somewhat enclosed house, they still utilized some areas for open spaces.

On the second floor, there is one main bedroom, two children's bedrooms, and one maid's room. The maid's room can only be accessed from the service area on the first floor using a spiral staircase.

Given the challenge of the house's size, a 'simple' layout was the answer. This house features open spaces in several parts of the design. The distances between floors and walls were designed to be tall, creating a sense of spaciousness in the rooms. Large window openings allow for good airflow and light into the house, which is surrounded by other houses on three sides. The use of bright colors like white also helps make the house feel more spacious.

The limited land area is certainly not a hindrance to having a green open area within the house. The garden inside the house provides a sense of coolness and comfort. Uniquely, in the design process, the architect also considered the existing land in the area. The trees growing in that area became part of the house design.

What the architect did certainly gave this house its characteristic, with trees extending from the ground floor to the top floor. This became a focal point inside the house, especially for the foyer and the family room, providing comfort within the space, giving the building its 'soul', as intended by the architect.

One unique feature of this house is the striped facade at the front. The lines on the facade give a dimensional appearance compared to just flat walls. They not only provide an appearance but also act as openings for light to enter the house. The concept of these lines also appears in other parts such as doors, windows, and stairs. Hence, 'stripes' become the fifth concept in this house's design.

Of course, various concept applications with various techniques and materials went through various trials and errors during the design and construction process. Although the design of this house appears simple, a lot of thought and effort were needed to achieve comfort and quality of space within a limited budget. Various obstacles and challenges became their considerations in designing the house. 'Struggle' became part of the making of this S house.

This 'S' house is a 'special' house. This is due to the shared vision between the homeowner and the architect regarding this house in the future. The collaboration between the homeowner and a good designer from the architect, builder, and designer to complete the project on time and within budget is a significant achievement for all parties.

The seven words that represent this 'S' house are start, small, simple, soul, stripes, struggle, and special, giving this house its own meaning. The process of design and construction makes this house more impressive, considering the hard work put into its construction. Nevertheless, this house is indeed very interesting and stands out compared to other houses around it."

Source: S House | photo by Mansyur hasan