In a developing area of Bali in Seminyak, in the south of the island, the Singaporean owner of a plot of land wanted a holiday property that was open, convenient to live in, and yet maintained some references to traditional Balinese dwellings (though not at all overtly). The site was originally virgin paddy fields, and though close to the sea, there was no possibility of a view from the single-storey structure, which was also what the client requested. Architect Ian Chee has designed a complex that creates entirely its own habitat within the surrounding walls. Chee’s intention was to re-interpret the traditional Balinese layout of a dwelling. In this, there is a series of small construction grouped in the same compound, with a minimum of five areas: entrance, bedroom kitchen, bathroom and granary. The precise layout varies according to status and caste, and follows rules laid down in treatises, some going back to the fifteenth century. Masonry platforms are traditional, as is the interpenetration of interior and exterior space.
This house, completed in 2004 and with a total built-up area of 550 square meters, was conceived as a series of bales (the Balinese version of a gazebo) linked by a covered walkway and orientated to take advantage of the prevailing winds, using large cantilevered overhangs and plated pergolas for shade and protection from rain. By adapting the arrangement of a traditional Bali home, the architect was able to satisfy the client’s wish to keep the guest quarters separate, and these were located in a line extending from the corner housing the kitchen, service quarters and garage. The living shelter followed by the master room extends from this corner at a right angle, while the house temple was placed facing the sacred mountain Gunung Agung in the opposite corner of the compound.
One entire wall of the compound is lined by plantings of small trees. The water connects the living area at firth with the bathrooms that adjoin the master and second bedrooms. The focus of the house is the living shelter, roofed but open on three sides. In the centre of this is the sunken seating area, into which steps lead down from two opposite corner. Early morning sunlight streams into the living shelter (overleaf), with its dining table at left. The area faces out on to the lawn, swimming pool and a small bale in traditional style, thatched with alang-alang grass.
