[English subtitles are available. Please turn on the “CC” button to view them]
Tropicality: Houses by Andra Matin is a beautifully crafted book featuring 16 homes by Indonesia’s leading architect, celebrating tropical modernism through space, material, and memory.
Find out more at https://byoliving.com.
Produced by Wonders of Weaving / BYO Living
Published by Thames & Hudson
In this week’s episode, Indonesia’s leading architect Andra Matin walks us through his personal residence in Bintaro, South Jakarta. Located on a corner plot in one of Bintaro’s earliest housing clusters from the 1980s, the house responds directly to its surroundings, particularly a public park at the front, which influenced the design.
Design Anthology tells stories of the people, products and places at the forefront of Asia Pacific’s creative and cultural sectors. Through home tours, conversations with visionaries and explorations of both time-honoured traditions and emerging innovations, Design Anthology champions creativity, craft and the enduring value of thoughtful and considered spaces, products and ideas.
Previously known as the Stacked Homes YouTube channel, our content has always focused on design-forward homes and the people who shape them. This evolution marks a broader regional focus, but the same dedication to thoughtful storytelling remains.
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My name is Andra Matin, I’m an architect, I work and live in Bintaro, Jakarta I took a physical test when
I was in high school. The results suggested that I should become an architect or a doctor. As for being a doctor – I’m afraid of blood. But becoming an architect it seems to involve a lot of visual work which i’ve always liked since I was a child. I want to try to be honest and improve little by little every day. As an architect, I want to design
while respecting the environment understanding the context,
focusing on functionality and ensuring it remains beautiful. In my opinion, it’s also important to provide
added value to the society through architecture. With the tropical climate and diverse cultures that we have Indonesian architecture reflects
its history and background. Indonesian vernacular architecture
is truly beautiful and the designs we see today are the result of the development of those elements. This house is located on Jalan Manyer it is part of an old residential complex in Bintaro, this is the first cluster developed
by Bintaro since the 1980s. This house sits on a corner lot
with a 7-meter wide frontage along the side of the road and it widens towards the rear. In the front, there is a public park which became my main inspiration
in designing the house. As soon as we enter, what we see is a fish pond with a soothing sound of trickling water and there are several koi fish which leaves us a sense of calm and peace. A stark contrast to the noise and heat outside. As people enter, they will see the library first. To the right, there’s a cat enclosure and a ramp that draws you in and guide you
towards the second floor. Our house is home to many cats because my wife loves rescuing stray cats. We care for them, and now we have 80 cats. The main library was inspired
by spaces in Japan. When I first visited the country I stayed with a Japanese family. That experience left a strong impression on me. Which is why the table in the library can be lowered to floor level and transformed into a bed. This is my home where I challenged myself
after working for 20 years as an architect. I tried to build this house
without using drawings. I intentionally chose a ramp as
the access to the first floor because I enjoy the experience of using a ramp. Just like in a movie the movement is slow and reveals the space gradually. We arrive at the first floor, which has
a bright and spacious space. Nearly a 360-degree view mostly filled with greenery. I have come to realize that these small journeys I created allow my family to enjoy the house in atmospheres and views that are different. I placed a multifunctional dining table
that is 4 meters long with a stove at one end. So while cooking we can still talk, work and carry out other activities. Behind the dining table there is a large unit that contains the rest of the kitchen utilities. The primary bedroom sits between the family area and the floor where the
children’s room are located It feels like it’s positioned at the border. From the ramp, we arrive at a solid-looking box that could be mistaken for an electrical substation. When you enter, all you see is a bed and a large window with steel frame. In front of it there’s a TV credenza followed by a spiral staircase
leading down to a lower area that consists of a bathroom,
a wardrobe, and a workspace. All these spaces are open without any partitions. At the end of the bathroom, I placed a garden with a tree that was once small but has
now grown significantly with an opening in the roof above it. This garden blends with the room and brings freshness into the basement making it feel nothing like an underground space. On the second floor there are
three children’s bedrooms all interconnected through a central corridor. This long corridor has an open horizontal opening without glass on one side with wooden slates on the other side which is used for storing documents and various things. Inside the room, there is a communal space for studying socializing with friends or other activities. The sleeping area itself is inside a white box inspired by capsule hotels in Japan. That area is the only one that
uses air conditioning. To get up the bed the children have to step on the credenza because the bed is positioned 60 cm above the floor. On the rooftop, I placed grass
in the central area. The combination of grass, soil, and water make me truly feel that this element helps to lower the temperature of the space below. In the grassy area, I installed nine skylights where hot air from below can rise up and sunlight can pass through the skylight to the floor below. I also left a gap of about 5 cm between the glass and the grass allowing hot air to rise. In some instance the grass
hangs down into the space below giving the area below a more poetic atmosphere. I planned for this house only two main materials exposed concrete and Ulin wood. The concrete gives a sense of solidity while Ulin wood adds a sense of warmth the two complement each other. This balance is something I always pursue and it has become a fundamental
principle in my work. After this house was completed,
I learned a lot. This house has become
a kind of laboratory for exploring how to adapt
to the tropical climate. The sun, rain, wind, humidity and also how to manage insects or animals since many areas are semi-open. This experience has deepend my understanding and enables me to provide more
informed recommendations Apart from that, this house has
become a learning platform for my studio team to understand various aspects of architecture. Including structure, materials,
space, sequence details, and beyond. I hope young architects become
aware of the importance of context and sustainability, as well as the significance
of designing architecture with a distinctive character that is rooted in local typologies, settings, and cultures
30 Comments
English subtitles are available. Please turn on the “CC” button to view them.
karya seni sempurna dari seorang maestro 💯
❤
Karyanya keren, perfec..
Yg bikin wow ada kucing 80. Aku ga bisa bayangin misal kucing lupa kl popnya di garden/ rumput atas
sanctuary.
Absolutely beautiful and everything is so well designed and thought for that kind of weather. A masterclass.
This is such a beautiful project but I have so many questions….
Can you sit in that outdoor kitchen area after dark? Any lights will attract a ton of bugs, no?
I've never seen an indoor unfinished wood shower. Is it not covered in scum and algae? How do you clean it?
Your socializing area has 2 chairs… If you have more than 1 guest do they sit on the concrete floor?
You said the skylights have an air gap – how do you keep the rain from coming into the house?
Intriguing!!
palang palang
Book of Eli
It's a very post apocalyptic brutalist house design it's interesting but I just don't see how living in such an open space during difficult weather is possible.. for example the ramps, wouldn't they be slippery when rain falls? Same with the sunroofs, with the gap in the ceiling.. it just rains all over the living room and kitchen area? I suppose no issue with pests since there is 80 cats living there 😅 but what about mosquitos?
semua ok cuma yg saya binggung itu tikus nyamuk dll gimana ya??aPA Ya uda berbaur aja gitu hehe
Indonesia doesn't have mosquitos ?
Definisi "MEWAH SECARA SEDERHANA" ❤
My Only concern is the Mosquitoes.
Berdebu gak ya rumahnya
Konsep rumahnya unik dan fresh, tapi jadi penasaran sama maintenancenya dan di lantai 2 tadi diperlihatkan kalau ruangannya full terbuka kira-kira kalau hujan tempias gak ya?
it feels so sad
Pasti sangat betah di rumah, gak pengen jalan2 ke mall or lain2nya 😊😊😊
so calming, thanks for inspiration🙏🏻
indonesia is a tropical island, that very design is a one way ticket to invite a feast for mosquitos. it is quite the impeccable design, no doubt. but GOod Lord i'd die with the amount of mosquitos around. not to mention the climate in here.
Is this normal? Having home so exposed outside can one feel safe without windows in your living area that isnt just garden? Little unpractical?
Beautiful build.
Eighty Cats???
love the home, looks like a place to rest and forget the world.
I would like to know as well the name of the music heard at the beginning please ?
Hermosa construcción
Tapi tanya, kalau hujan ruang terbuka itu bakal basah ga ke dalam akibat hembusan angin?
now im left curious how the house manages strong winds with heavy rains with the house sitting mainly in semi-open and open spaces with furniture and cloth materials exposed to the weather conditions. Truly peaceful and relaxing vibes!
so much serenity. Peaceful. Beautiful ❤️
Apakah ada ular GK ya?
Syahdu banget pasti kalo lg hujan, masya Allah 🙌