A home with a keen emphasis on feng shui principles

Umasari House
Architects: Arkana Architects
Area: 1385 m²
Year: 2023
Photographs:Indra Wiras
Country: Indonesia
Video credits: @ArkanaArchitects
Music by Luis Enrique Guerra Naveda from Pixabay
Located at the heart of Petitenget, Umasari House is a really prestigious residential area. Our client wants a residence with a modern tropical concept. In addition, they also want their house to be designed based on feng shui, especially for spatial planning in the building plan.
Therefore, the floor plan was designed in such a way that it followed the shape of the site. The front area is intentionally designed without green space and is only used as a garage. We will be taken up by the entrance in the middle of the building. Then, we will be greeted by the foyer area connected to the stairs to the second floor on the left side and the living room on the right side. As for the other rooms, they are arranged lengthwise to the back and create an elongated circulation between them.
Umasari House ends with a swimming pool and a large back garden, according to the owner's request. This building consists of two floors with a total building area of 1,385 sqm. Then, this dwelling is only an elongated mass that stands on an area of 1,600 sqm.
In addition, we also designed every room in Umasari House with a high ceiling. Not only for rooms on the ground floor but also on the second floor. Moreover, the living area has a double-height ceiling. At least, this height in the interior makes this dwelling less massive and more spacious.
Then, a rectangular plan with an avant-garde height in each room makes the Umasari House look like an elongated mass box, too. This timeless box shape is actually also one of the answers to the client's request for a modern concept in their homes. Yet, we do not want this modern concept to feel so dominant here. Therefore, we combine it with tropical building materials. Among them are natural stone and ironwood. We use natural stones for the facade area and some walls in the house. At the same time, the ironwood can be seen in the upper floor facade area. We also combine it with glass walls as openings in Umasari House. The combination of natural material and glass walls defines the tropical modern style very well. It's a great way to interpret Bali from a house design.