Hikari House: Elongated House Design with Openings in Vari

This residence designed by Pranala Associates is located in Bandung. The house, named hikari house, has an elongated layout to the back that is uniquely designed with connections between spaces. Both public, private, and service spaces are arranged as well as possible to make the house feel more comfortable.

This 422-square-meter house is a house of light where the design lets natural light into the house. The various opening designs in this house show the good air and light circulation inside. In an elongated building, it is important to have openings that allow the house to breathe better. This can be seen with the dry garden in the dining room, or the open space in the backyard.

The exterior of this hikari house uses exposed concrete material. The gray color is very visible from outside the residence. However, this does not hinder the design of the house to be more beautiful. At night, when the lights are turned on, the yellow rays are visible on the ceiling of the house and certain areas of the exterior. This lighting makes the house look beautiful but still natural.

The beautiful residential look is complemented by a transparent fence with a black frame in front. Coupled with the vines on top of the fence, it gives a green impression so that the house does not look lonely or boring with its exposed style. The green yard also provides a contrasting color to the building.

This three-bedroom house is designed very compactly in a slim plan. When guests enter the house, they will immediately be shown the entry hall of the residence. Which then has a living room in the room next to the entrance. Although this residence is fairly slim, it still pays attention to the entry of light and air so that the house is not cramped.

Every part of the house, front, middle or back, you will be able to see green elements and open spaces. You could say that the design of the house is very considerate of its residents. For the center area, there is a dining room, a closed kitchen and also an open space that is limited by sliding glass doors. The dining room is designed very simply with wooden table and chair furniture and also a chandelier that looks elegant. When the door to the dry garden area is open, the living room feels spacious and fresh.

In the open area, there are trees that stretch up high. This open area can not only be enjoyed by people in the dining area, but also the two bedrooms on either side of the garden. This garden itself is called a dry garden because the ground is covered by paving, only the trees are covered by soil.

One of the other interesting things in this living room is a mini garden in the residence. This small garden is filled with thorny plants, cacti. Arranged on sand, it feels like a mini sahara desert but is very shady because of the variety of green plants present in it. This area gets direct sunlight from the roof. The roof, which consists of neatly arranged logs, gets direct lighting from the glass roof above it. It feels unique and is also a vocal point in the living room.

As for the space in the back area of the house, there is a family lounge and also a master bedroom equipped with a terrace. This terraced house concept certainly gives a unified look between the outside and inside of the house.

The spacious family lounge is certainly a cozy gathering space. With simple sofa chairs and tables, the whole room looks minimalist. The wooden wall color that blends with the television shelf makes the room feel warm. There are storage shelves and various decorations that decorate the room that make the family room not feel lonely. The sliding glass window becomes the partition between the family room and the outside terrace.

The master bedroom, which is also equipped with an en suite bathroom, has its own terrace overlooking the back garden area. The back garden of the house is designed with land leveling so that the green grass does not feel monotonous and ordinary. The leveling is also designed to be curved so that it looks very flexible and also does not feel formal.

The overall design of this house feels unified. The contrast of the exterior materials with the interior presents a different experience in the residence. Various architectural approaches are designed in the residence. From natural lighting, artificial lighting, decorative accents, to green landscapes that add to the comfort of the residence.

The facade of the building faces west, so the architect responded by designing a closed view on the exterior. This is done to avoid too much light and heat during the day. The shape and materials used in the house are materials that do not require regular maintenance so that they are included in low maintenance housing. This house is also one of the modern tropical residences.

source: archdaily