Undivided Duality

Slicing through a sedate suburban hollow is a multigenerational home of sharp, intrepid architecture.

- Nizar Musa

The fringes of northern Damansara have for decades been a residential domain for Malaysian who’s who. Along winding tree-lined arteries, sizeable bungalows and residences sit side by side with a pomp interestingly bereft, for most, of design zest one might expect in these prime neighbourhoods. Cue House 12A by DCA Plus, one of but a handful of exceptional abodes in the vicinity, whose bet on non-conformity has paid off in more ways than one.

character personified

Some neck craning is required for a first look, the house obscured by foliage and boundary wall. Past those, you will find opposing vertical inclines of off-form concrete and fibre-cement panels, more Tokyo-urban than Kuala Lumpur-metropolitan, that evoke a visceral response. Through light and shadow, the trapezoidal grey-toned elevation becomes a dynamic element, having a quasi-Japanese aesthetic that feels neither derivative nor asynchronous to place and climate when seen up close.

DCA Plus – an offshoot of local firm Design Collective Architects – embraced the challenge of designing off the beaten path, responding to the persona of their client. “They’re an outgoing family, daring and willing to try different things, which led us to attempt a less traditional interpretation of a house,” says architect and DCA Plus partner Chan Mun Inn. “Our approach was sculptural, to create forms that had character. The façade especially has a sleekness to it, while having this dual quality of rough and smooth.”