Urban House in Cipete, Jakarta

This design is a respond to the problem of housing typology that can put up the needs of homeowners properly and to provide qualities of a healthy house within the constrains of very limited space and funding. The house is located on Jalan Abdul Majid, Cipete,Jakarta, a rather dense residential area where houses were usually built by developers in various sizes with minimum site width of 6 meters. More often the houses’ backyard would eventually be built as an extension of the houses and resulting in dwellings with poor natural ventilation and lighting.

This 6x22 meters existing site have to left 60 m2 open space at it’s front in regard to residences policy for the future main road development around Cipete. The main concept offered is how to increase the density of a house on a small site, and to enhance the quality of habitual spaces, as well to maintain good environmental quality in natural ventilation and lighting.

Within a feasible area of 6x12m, the house is designed to be compact in its space program. We decide to divide the program by locating the private area, like master's and children’s bedroom on the upper level. While the semi public area containing dining room, kitchen/pantry, and family room are in the lower level. The client also requested for an extra bedroom for their visiting parents in the lower level, which might occupy most of the area. Thus, by using movable divider hidden inside the cabinet, we manage the existing family room to become an enclosed space when it is needed. We also manipulate the dining area by designing a folded table in wall that separate kitchen with the family room. The maid's room and service area are located in front of the house to let the maid give a constant look out of the house.

An attic storage located beneath the roof, while an open green terrace is provided above the children’s bedroom to accommodate inhabitants’ outdoor activity and their needs of open space that was taken in the lower level.

This design tries to maximize the usage of natural lighting and cross air ventilation. Using zincalume walls as the house’ skin accentuate the sense of lightness while maintain the less maintenance cost of the building. Although located in a narrow sided site, the design provides a perfect cross ventilation with the use of a small courtyard as a “chimney” in the center of the house which allows air to flow crossing the spaces and then channeled outside without reducing the inhabitants’ needs for spaces.
Overall, this design illustrates our concern in designing simple urban houses issues. The design may not only contribute to the development of a typology for small and affordable housing, but also initiate an effort to reduce urban sprawling. Furthermore, this design could stand out as a model of an appropriate and suitable dwelling in narrow sites scattered around the urbanJakarta.