Tamara Wibowo Architects’ Breeze Block House nestled in the hills of Semarang, Indonesia, combines geometric shapes with natural materials to create a family home which feels fresh, modern and perfectly fits the everchanging landscape.
Confined by a tall retaining wall along two sides of the lot, this defining element became the first stepping-stone in the design of this fresh and modern home.
Redefining space
While the retaining wall traditionally is used as the edge of the home itself, Tamara Wibowo Architects instead designed a home set away from this boundary, recladding the wall and designing a courtyard between this and the exterior wall of the home.
Further defying the stereotypical approach, the architects then designed the second floor of the home as a large, “floating” structure jutting off the boundary of the ground floor, creating in its wake a sheltered outdoor space which blurs the boundaries between indoors and out.
Planting in the courtyard is positioned so as to break the boundaries further between the interior and exterior, with branches and leaves growing through the small openings in the blocks and so playing with the relationship between the built and natural environment.
A sculptural approach
While the building blocks of this home are generally rather simple, an elegant and rather sculptural spiral staircase in the centre of the home unifies the floors while creating a visual focal point on the ground floor and adding a sense of movement to the otherwise blocky space.
The home is defined in the landscape by its steep A-frame roof, as well as protruding window frames around glazing throughout the space. Not only do these elements add to the sculptural design aesthetic that holds importance throughout the home, but they have been cleverly designed to create a sense of privacy, limiting views in from the outdoors without restricting view out.
