Windows Over Windows
BluPrint|Volume 4 2019
It’s what you do when you’re a green-loving architect like Formzero’s Cherng Yih Lee, and your client isn’t interested in the forest outside
Judith Torres
Windows Over Windows

Puncak Templer or Templer Peak just outside of Kuala Lumpur is one of the loveliest sites on which to build a home. It is located on the fringe of Templer Park, 1200 hectares of forest reserve, home to the rare Hopea subalata tree, an endangered antelope called the Sumatran serow, and other threatened wildlife including the hawk-cuckoo, crested serpent eagle, spine-jawed snake, and the Malaysian crested lizard. The government made picnic grounds, fishing spots, and jungle trails available to tourists and families, so people might enjoy Templer Park’s tropical forest, multi-tiered waterfalls, and streams.

Not interested

To Cherng Yih Lee’s surprise, his clients who bought an 800-square meter lot at the upscale landed housing estate weren’t interested in the forest at the back of their property. Trekking and picnicking weren’t their thing. It didn’t even occur to them to ask the Formzero principal to maximize their views of the towering trees behind their lot—picture windows weren’t their thing either. All they wanted, says Lee, was to maximize the space within the house, accommodate seven bedrooms and a large game room, apart from the usual requirement of generous living and dining rooms.

Reengage and challenge

Lee, however, is a devoted believer in “reengaging architecture with a tropical landscape in the urban context,” and he wanted to bring the family closer to nature without their having to step out. He wanted open windows to the goodness of nature without exposing the contents of their home to people outside. A courtyard was out of the question because it would eat up space. The challenge of resolving the conflict between the client’s brief and his work philosophy led to him questioning architectural convention—an activity in which Lee says he is frequently absorbed.

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Windows Over Windows
BluPrint

Windows Over Windows

It’s what you do when you’re a green-loving architect like Formzero’s Cherng Yih Lee, and your client isn’t interested in the forest outside

time-read
5 mins  |
Volume 4 2019
The Office Of New Life Stories
BluPrint

The Office Of New Life Stories

D-Associates Architect’s office building in Jakarta is just how principals Gregorius Yolodi and Maria Rosantina want it— green, creative, and nurturing—just as they want their team to be

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5 mins  |
Volume 4 2019
Stark Beauty
BluPrint

Stark Beauty

When you’ve got great bones designed by Park + Associates, the structure should be the architecture

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4 mins  |
Volume 4 2019
Sunday's Best
BluPrint

Sunday's Best

Willis Kusuma’s multi-functional Mister Sunday elevates the Jakarta café scene with the timelessness and formal honesty of concrete

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Volume 4 2019
Brut Force
BluPrint

Brut Force

Raw concrete is experiencing a renaissance, but how compatible is it with tropical weather? Jakarta-based architect and frequent concrete user Willis Kusuma responds

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6 mins  |
Volume 4 2019
Workaholics Finish First
BluPrint

Workaholics Finish First

Bangkok’s Architectural Studio of Work-Aholic (ASWA) takes their first stab at WAF and counts on the power of spatial storytelling to take home the prize

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Special Issue 2
People Obssessed With Design
BluPrint

People Obssessed With Design

Park + Associates: Crafting architecture with good bones and spaces that resonate with individuals

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Firm Follows Feeling
BluPrint

Firm Follows Feeling

Bangkok-based landscape architecture firm P Landscape emphasizes the human experience and feeling through contemporary integration of art, culture, and ecology

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Special Issue 2
Tried and Tested
BluPrint

Tried and Tested

WAF and INSIDE multi-awardee Hypothesis’ researchintensive approach produces complete design solutions that are anything but formulaic

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2 mins  |
Special Issue 2
Crew's Control
BluPrint

Crew's Control

Young Thai studio Creative Crews finds a worldwide audience for three very different projects: a rural homestay, a classroom for the blind, and their own office, all indicative of the practice’s adaptive design solutions

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Special Issue 2