Introduction
Upon entering
The wind whispering
Touching the heart
Letting the light
And beauty revealed…
Situated
in Bandar Baru Bangi, ‘CAHAYA’ is designed as an abode that fuses high
modernist principles with the sanctuary of Malaysian vernacular architectural
epitome. The house speaks of Malay architecture as one source of inspiration,
and for other, the timeless modernism of the Prairie house of Frank Lloyd
Wright. While the all white modernism of the house seems a stark contrast to
the Malay architecture, the interpretation resonates with the tenets of both
styles. The façade is deliberately spare, punctuated by reliefs and non-typical
windows. Natural lights and ventilation penetrates into the spaces inside the
house. The house is as a piece of contemporary
architecture that revealed modern architecture to the most but sensitively,
promoting and provoking the truth of Malay traditional architecture. In a way
it is a truth of his architectural statement.
The spaces
The interiors consisted of
interlocking spaces separated not by doors, but by carefully developed angles
of vision. As you moved through those interior spaces, they would unfold in
dramatic and ever changing vistas: everywhere they would be elements of
surprise; and sudden, unexpected source of light around a corner, a glimpse of
the landscape, a succession of experiences so varied and yet so continuously
related that the interior became a symphony of space and light.
 |
The building plan is an absolutely
clear-cut demonstration of the articulated, “binuclear plan,” or “H plan” – the
plan that every functionalist, from Le Corbusier to Frank Lloyd Wright, has
found an eminently satisfactory solution to the organization of a multifunctional
spaces. This arrangements works beautifully because the entrance link to the
outer space, makes each part of the plan equally and independently accessible.
Ozone and sun light pour in over the rooms,
filtered by the palest white curtains shifting in the breeze. The effect while
theatrical is too intelligent and controlled to be calm. Tangible, sensational
and astounding. It is true glamour rather than the ersatz kind. The house
though is not particularly large in size but certainly has presence. And
the light effect here, natural or achieved by direct or filtered fixtures, is
superbly manipulated to add form and volume to the interior.
The
colour
“White is
always powerful and positive.” Le
Corbusier
“It is against a white surface that
one best appreciates the play of light and shadow, solids and voids. In this
way, whiteness has been one means of sharpening perception and heightening the
power of visual form.” Richard Meier
For
the interior walls, the designer prefers to create a character of modernist.
White, being sensual and purist is applied throughout the entire walls. Of
course, the all-white walls are sensationalized with colourful paintings, red
colour sofa and modernist decorative items. Nothing gives the impression of
being too luxury or too lavish. The presence and placement of elements is
justified. The owner’s passion for colour and form gives him his design
direction.
For
the exterior, the monotony of the all-white wall is off-set by the grey and
orange reliefs. This two colours strengthen the plasticity of the façade,
beside its contemporary nature that is invigorating and intoxicating.
The form
The facades are a collage of planes,
lines and reliefs whose components are arranged graphically to form poetry of
its own. Colours were
chosen as to strengthen the dimension of the facades; surfaces in white,
reliefs in shades of grey and orange, limewash
window frames and white doors. An
expansive glass front and abundant natural light blur the interior/exterior
boundary.
The landscape
Nature is
brought directly to the architectural composition. Upon entering the living room,
one will be greeted by the beautiful Calathea which lined the wall of the
veranda. Heliconias lined the edge of the fence while Sansiviera is planted
externally along the fence. The verticality of the Sansiviera accentuates a
three dimensional composition of the façade. The overlapping lines of the
Sansivieras are echoed on the pattern of the driveway and veranda floor.
Frank Lloyd Wright down-to-earth architecture was the
horizontal, the image of man in love with nature. So is this house, the architectural
composition emphasized on the horizontality rather than verticality, which
suggested a harmony with nature, rather than opposition to nature.
CONCLUSION
"...We
didn't avoid older styles because they were ugly, or because we couldn't
reproduce them, but because our own times demanded their own form, their own
manifestation." Gerrit Rietveld.
The owner believes that architecture is not a style
but a truth by itself. A truth of oneself, a truth of belief, a truth of soul
and spirit that revealed and translate the inner self in a three dimensional
way.
The
house strikes a rare balance between drama and subtlety, intimacy and space. It
is minimalist but warm. Eccentric yet engaging. It is an eclectic mix of new
and old. It is modern but curiously conservative - The
hierarchy of spaces, the engagement with nature, the humble yet dynamic façade,
it’s all revealed the truth of a modern Malay.
*The Rietveld Schröder House was built in 1924 by Dutch
architect Gerrit Rietveld. The house is one of the best known examples of
modernist architecture.
By
Noor Azizi bin Mohd. Ali.
enjoyed reading it thanks
ReplyDelete