Family Values

DNA’s Yin and Yang interpretation of the modern tropical house makes a convincing argument for multigenerational homes

- Jennifer Choo

The multi-generational home has ebbed in popularity in recent years but a multi-generational compound where family members have separate houses while sharing gazetted common areas seems like an ideal compromise of being together, yet apart. This was the scenario for siblings Jonathan and Teresa Liang who had both been pursuing degrees overseas. Their father bought a 1.5 acre land adjacent to his house when they returned to Miri to work for the family shipbuilding business and offered them the land to build their own houses on. The siblings then started looking for a suitable architect in the region and came across the work of award-winning Kuching-based firm DNA whose modern style suited both their tastes. William Khoo, founder and design director of DNA, recalls the siblings were literally walk-in customers when they paid the firm a visit one afternoon in 2015.

TWO OUT OF THREE

As designers, Khoo and his team were intrigued by how they could potentially design the three houses around this central courtyard to facilitate interaction and explore how architecture could enhance family ties through shared spaces. “The site is made interesting by its specific location in relation to the dad’s house. Due to its large size, we could strategically position the two houses to integrate with the parents’ residence. This created a garden homestead of three houses surrounded and flanked with pocket courtyard gardens and open terraces that provided the soft links to the houses,” explains Khoo.