Cover The main staircase of the Rainforest Residence features a signature oculus skylight overhead, with brick accent walls and steel railings that create visual interest while maintaining the building’s industrial aesthetic
The main staircase of the Rainforest Residence features a signature oculus skylight overhead, with brick accent walls and steel railings that create visual interest while maintaining the building’s industrial aesthetic
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Choo Gim Wah Architect’s Rainforest Residence in Janda Baik, Pahang, seamlessly blends raw concrete with lush Malaysian rainforest, creating transitional spaces that frame nature like living art for a creative artist couple.
Towering trees, lush foliage, and gentle slopes provide not just the setting, but also the inspiration, for this home in Janda Baik, Pahang, Malaysia. In other words, the project very much lives up to its name as the ‘Rainforest Residence.’
From the outset, it was clear to architect Choo Gim Wah that the house should engage deeply with its environment. He points out that the design is based on a ‘reverence for nature’, especially in the way that the structure ‘frames the surrounding forest like a living painting.’ As it turns out, Choo’s museum imagery is entirely appropriate, since his clients are a husband-and-wife pair of artists.
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Above From above, it’s clear how the linear concrete roof integrates with the 1.1-acre sloping site
From above, it’s clear how the linear concrete roof integrates with the 1.1-acre sloping site
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Transitional spaces
Above The home’s severe geometry is softened by the gentle slopes and towering trees
Above Timber walkways and steel railings create the semi-outdoor circulation that connects different areas of the house
The home’s severe geometry is softened by the gentle slopes and towering trees
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In order to allow both nature and art to shine, the building itself had to be all about simplicity. And therein lay the challenge. ‘A lot of people think that “simple” means “easy”,’ Choo notes, before clarifying emphatically, ‘actually, that’s not the case.’ He elaborates: ‘To make something simple, you have to go through many layers of design-filtering exercises, like the peeling of an onion, layer by layer.’
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The imposing concrete entrance features minimal window openings and severe geometry, giving way to spatial surprises once inside the home
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The simplest element of the design would seem to be the exterior of the building. On first approaching the 1.1-acre property via the driveway, we encounter a long, rectilinear concrete shell. This monolithic volume makes an imposing impression, with its severe geometry and its minimal window openings. However, we quickly become aware that this simple box structure is a part of a larger purpose. Choo explains: ‘once you enter the concrete box, the house opens up to the landscape, which is more playful and colourful; there is an element of surprise, with the building presenting different spatial qualities.’
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Above The main staircase of the Rainforest Residence features a signature oculus skylight overhead, with brick accent walls and steel railings that create visual interest while maintaining the building’s industrial aesthetic.
The main staircase of the Rainforest Residence features a signature oculus skylight overhead, with brick accent walls and steel railings that create visual interest while maintaining the building’s industrial aesthetic.
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This shift from austere simplicity to lively openness is just one instance of Choo’s experimental approach for this project. In fact, he was even more inventive in his approach to the flow of space. Choo in effect turns the house inside-out by transforming the connecting passages into ‘a semi-outdoor experience’. Thus, there is a rejection of indoor corridors; instead, he opts for the circulation to be defined by terraces, walkways, and balconies. He explains: ‘these transitional spaces act as open-air journeys to engage with the surrounding rainforest.’
Raw materials
Above Timber screens and water features create transitional spaces
Above The oculus skylight above the main staircase stitches the changing sky into the building’s fabric
Timber screens and water features create transitional spaces
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The use of off-form concrete was quite deliberate. Firstly, its rugged texture and severe colour palette contribute to the Brutalist aesthetic that is evident in the monolithic shell of the main building. Choo points out that there is even a hint of the ‘macho’ in the material’s boldness. Secondly, the broad expanses of concrete are practical in the sense that they provide plenty of wall-surface area for the clients to mount their artwork. Thirdly, the material also plays a part in the passive cooling of the whole structure. The roof consists of two layers of off-form concrete sandwiching a thick layer of insulation, all of which minimises the use of air-conditioning, even during the mid-afternoon.
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Above The monolithic concrete structure creates a striking contrast with the greenery
Above Elevated timber platforms extend into the forest floor
The monolithic concrete structure creates a striking contrast with the greenery
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Off-form concrete lent itself to pairings with complementary materials. Choo is particularly proud of the ‘beautiful interplay’ between the cool concrete and the warmer natural timber grains. In line with his emphasis on simplicity, Choo made sure to avoid materials that might draw too much attention to themselves. He notes that marble and granite run the risk of evoking a hotel-like feel. Consequently, the focus was instead placed on more pared-down materials – namely concrete, timber, brick, glass, and steel – which would redirect the focus onto the surrounding forest.
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Above The covered outdoor dining area exemplifies Choo’s rejection of traditional indoor corridors
Above The home’s transitional spaces create moments of pause between the interior and forest
The covered outdoor dining area exemplifies Choo’s rejection of traditional indoor corridors
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Ultimately, the transitional spaces and open circulation also ensure that outdoor elements become constituent materials of the whole design. Thus, the oculus skylight above the main staircase stitches the changing sky into the fabric of the building; while dappled light penetrates through the greenery and plays on the canvas that is the off-form concrete.
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Above The infinity pool terrace is a semi-outdoor circulation bordering lush tropical vegetation
The infinity pool terrace is a semi-outdoor circulation bordering lush tropical vegetation
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Life and times
The living area demonstrates the interplay between cool concrete and warm timber grains, with floor-to-ceiling windows opening to the forest and providing gallery wall space for the artist owners' curated collection.
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Over time, the interior has grown to reflect the lifestyles and pursuits of its occupants. Their curated archive of artifacts is ever-evolving but is marked by its range, encompassing as it does everything from paintings and sculptures, to masks, ancient weaponry, fine fabrics, and much more. The client notes that these items were collected over decades and from far-flung locations: ‘flea markets and car boot sales in France, galleries in Kyoto, the Alfie antique market in London, as well as Chatuchak in Bangkok’.
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The modern kitchen features dark cabinetry and stone countertops, with fluted glass storage systems
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The choice of furniture is marked by the same approach of open-minded eclecticism. Thus, we have not only the classic low-slung frames of the Hans Wegner chairs, but also the acrylic quirkiness of Louis Poulsen’s Panthella lamp and an elegant vintage mirror from Gio Ponti. As with the decorative items, rugs were sourced from all over the world, including from Morocco, Iran, Turkey and India.
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Ancient weaponry and traditional artefacts line the timber-clad passageway
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Choo shares that one of the biggest satisfactions of working on this project has been observing how the clients have made this truly their home. ‘As an architect,’ he says, ‘we design a space and a building for them but then it is up to the client to add their own touch to the whole building, making it really unique and idiosyncratic.
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Photography: Pixelaw Photography
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