House Tour: You’ll never want to leave this cavernous home entertainment wing in Indonesia

This set of contemporary structures built upon Modernist architectural principles may be far from the image of a cave, but a cave was what inspired its tectonics and articulations.

From the street, the building presents itself as twin boxes — a smaller timber one in front of a larger concrete one with a chamfered profile. A black portal slicing through the timber box conceals a discreet black door, giving the building a mysterious demeanour. 

The building is located in a residential gated community in Tangerang, Western Indonesia, but it is not a house. Designed by DP+HS Architects, it offers complementary programmes to an adjoining house.

The homeowner bought a neighbouring plot to create this block for his family’s rest and recreation. The block includes a swimming pool, sauna, lounge, multipurpose playroom, and basketball court. 

“Five people live in the main house. The design of (this 640 sq m block) suits their lifestyle since they are introverted personalities who like to spend a lot of time doing activities together inside their home,” says Don Pieto, who founded DP+HS Architects with Henny Suwardi. This family does not need to travel to a clubhouse, having their own through a door in the existing house’s living room.

Creating a sense of privacy

The existing house has a similar contemporary language but deploys differing materials and forms. The recreational building’s bold, graphic architecture responded to the street rules. Houses in the development are not allowed to have fences and gates; it is a forced Pleasantville if you will. 

Neighbours walking by are privy to the family’s happenings, so the architects decided the building had to be “sumptuous yet subdued, having the quality of outdoor activity, yet enclosed and having a private atmosphere.”

The cave analogy extends to the recreational building’s interior, with a solid exterior concealing the interior from the outside. The boxy volumes fronting the street are interpreted as ‘gates’ (portals) into a contrasting world.

Through the “cave mouth”,’ one tunnels through a narrow corridor before encountering a large void that houses the swimming pool, illuminated by a skylight. Curiosity gives way to amazement, as the contrast between darkness and light and small and expansive spaces creates a sense of drama.

“The ‘cave’ form acts as the building envelope to cover the pool beneath the structure, giving shelter to the unobstructed space of the large void. This space emphasises openness and leads to visual and physical connections between spaces and activities — both horizontally and vertically,” says Henny.   

The void serves as the light source for the entire inner part of the house. A gentle waterfall streaming down the stone wall into the pool helps to create a relaxed atmosphere. The effect — voluminous sheer space, the flood of light, trickling sounds of water and sparkling turquoise blue pool tiles — is nothing short of mesmeric. 

Built for the tropics

While the building is mostly covered, it was also designed to be tropical. The water features and strategically placed openings, including a glass-less aperture at the second storey, help lower ambient temperature during the day. Overlooking the void is a capacious lounge.

A line of bent timber structures above and boundary planters alongside make this a calm breakout outside the enclosed basketball court.     

Pieto highlights that the building employs a layering strategy: layering materials give richness to the facade, and layering enclosed and open spaces  — both length-wise through the plot and vertically — makes transiting between activities engaging. The concrete and timber “boxes” at the facade continue inward in three dimensions, becoming a concrete shell layered over a timber container. 

“The overall composition was controlled linearly and continuously, giving order to the form and building a strong presence with its simple yet meticulous details,” says Pieto. He adds that the procession through the building was an essential part of the circulation design as it relates the architecture to the overall atmosphere and function. 

This helps to give a sense of ritual to coming home — or, in this case, entering and leaving activities of rest and recreation. One example is the entrance sequence from the narrow corridor into the tall void. Another is moving from a long, narrow staircase into the large basketball court.

The choice of natural materials, such as wood, glass, marble, granite, natural stone, steel, mosaic, and rattan, expressed in their original states and combined in sensitive ways, give tactility to the programs.

Even though this building is designed for fun, there is also a sense of warmth and welcome. The family members also appreciate the high level of privacy and intimacy. 

Says Henny, “The family really enjoys the spaces. They like the different experiences in each space and feel outdoors, even in the open, sheltered spaces. They enjoy activities in this house because all their needs and the atmospheres they want are met here.”