Cover At dusk, the rear of the TTDI house opens onto the 20-metre pool, with the open-plan living, dining and kitchen spaces lit behind full-height glass
At dusk, the rear of the TTDI house opens onto the 20-metre pool, with the open-plan living, dining and kitchen spaces lit behind full-height glass
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Kenwong Architects rebuilt a modest semi-detached property in TTDI, making way for a family home organised around an internal courtyard and a 20-metre pool
A 7,000 sq ft house in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, has replaced what was once a semi-detached property, following the client’s and architect’s decision to demolish rather than renovate. The project, designed by Ken Wong, founder and lead architect of Kenwong Architects, was built for a family with two teenage children.
The original semi-detached house had little to recommend keeping it, Wong says. “After studying some options and weighing out the pros and cons of working with an existing structure versus demolishing and building a brand new house, we decided to demolish and build again,” he says. The scale of the budget involved was also a factor. “It makes more sense, when spending a substantial amount of money, to get a brand new house rather than an old house renovated,” he says.
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Above The front elevation shows the car porch beneath a cantilevered upper floor, with the roof terrace’s open structure visible above
The front elevation shows the car porch beneath a cantilevered upper floor, with the roof terrace’s open structure visible above
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Above The koi pond runs alongside the car porch, threading between concrete columns and a planted internal courtyard
Above A closer view of the entrance shows the timber front door beneath the cantilevered upper floor
The koi pond runs alongside the car porch, threading between concrete columns and a planted internal courtyard
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Wong was introduced to the client after they came across the practice’s work online. What drew him to the site itself was its shape. “It was the very broad frontage the property has that attracted me,” he says.
The finished house is two storeys with a roof terrace, giving it the effective height of three floors. A car porch holds four cars and the owner’s bicycles, with a strip of koi pond set between the car porch and the main house, forming a threshold at the entrance.
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Above The timber front door sits beneath a tall skylight, with an artwork hung on the adjacent wall
Above The entrance hall leads directly through to the kitchen, with a courtyard tree visible partway down the corridor
The timber front door sits beneath a tall skylight, with an artwork hung on the adjacent wall
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Above A tree grows through an opening in the concrete car porch structure, part of the threshold between the entrance and the house
Above Viewed from inside, glass walls bring the koi pond and courtyard planting into the entrance foyer
A tree grows through an opening in the concrete car porch structure, part of the threshold between the entrance and the house
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Inside, a double-height foyer leads to an open living, dining and kitchen area that faces a 20-metre pool and garden. A guest room with its own en-suite bathroom opens onto a private garden, and a feature staircase runs alongside a narrow internal courtyard. A back-of-house yard and powder room, the latter attached to its own courtyard, complete the ground floor.
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Above Timber slat panelling lines a covered outdoor space near the entrance, beside an angled concrete structure and a small planted courtyard
Timber slat panelling lines a covered outdoor space near the entrance, beside an angled concrete structure and a small planted courtyard
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Above A courtyard garden is visible through glass balustrades at the top of the internal staircase, planted with trees and shrubs
Above A skylight above the staircase draws daylight down past a poured concrete wall
A courtyard garden is visible through glass balustrades at the top of the internal staircase, planted with trees and shrubs
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On the first floor, a family and music room sits directly above the pool. The master suite includes a study, a balcony overlooking the pool, a walk-in wardrobe and a bathroom with its own courtyard. Two further en-suite bedrooms face the pool and a garden respectively, and there is a home theatre room. The roof terrace holds a semi-open gym facing the Bukit Kiara hill reserve, a semi-open social space, and an outdoor jacuzzi.
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Above The dining and kitchen areas open onto the pool and garden through a wide glazed opening
The dining and kitchen areas open onto the pool and garden through a wide glazed opening
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The central design problem was specific to the site’s history as a semi-detached lot. “It was the challenges of rebuilding a semi-D: how to deal with the new house attaching to the existing neighbouring house, and what opportunities it offers,” Wong says. His response was an internal courtyard set between the neighbour’s wall and the new staircase, bringing daylight and ventilation into the middle of the plan. The long proportions inherited from the original lot were used to position the pool as the organising space of the house, with a thick wall wrapping three sides of the building and opening in the centre onto the pool and garden.
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Above Stone slabs from Neolith clad the kitchen’s backsplash and island, with the same corner window bringing in a view of the garden
Stone slabs from Neolith clad the kitchen’s backsplash and island, with the same corner window bringing in a view of the garden
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Above A corner window above the kitchen sink looks directly onto the garden’s greenery, with a Bulthaup cabinet in matte black below
Above A built-in shelving unit in dark-stained wood displays books and decorative objects, dividing space without the need for a blank wall.
A corner window above the kitchen sink looks directly onto the garden’s greenery, with a Bulthaup cabinet in matte black below
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Construction was not without complications. “There were moments of detail junctions overlooked on drawings, and things that were built wrong,” Wong says, pointing to the curved corner above the pool as one such adjustment that became, in the end, a distinguishing feature of the house.
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Above The feature staircase is finished in timber, lit from a skylight above and set against a poured concrete wall
Above A detail of the staircase balustrade, treated as a timber plane with an integrated handrail
The feature staircase is finished in timber, lit from a skylight above and set against a poured concrete wall
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Above Planting spills over the edge of the roof terrace, visible from the stairwell below
Planting spills over the edge of the roof terrace, visible from the stairwell below
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Materials were kept modest given the budget, with attention placed instead on detailing. The kitchen is by Bulthaup, with Neolith stone worktops; pendant lighting comes from HAY and Vibia, and the sofa is from King Living. Built-in cabinetry is used throughout to divide space rather than leave blank walls; the staircase balusters are treated as lit planes with integrated handles, and a steel privacy screen for the master bathroom has become one of the house’s more distinctive elements. Photovoltaic cells on the roof generate electricity for the household.
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Above At dusk, the pool runs along the rear façade, with a steel-clad volume rising above the living areas
At dusk, the pool runs along the rear façade, with a steel-clad volume rising above the living areas
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Above The rear elevation at dusk shows the roof terrace’s angled steel-clad form above the pool and garden
Above The narrow courtyard beside the entrance is planted with a mix of trees and shrubs, softening the concrete carport structure and the plastered wall beyond
The rear elevation at dusk shows the roof terrace’s angled steel-clad form above the pool and garden
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The clients continue to use the house extensively, according to Wong, moving between its various spaces depending on the time of day. “It was most gratifying to see the house allow the owners to have choices during different parts of the day to use different parts of the house for different purposes,” he says. He adds that the children now prefer staying home to going out.
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Jennifer Choo is Regional Managing Editor of Tatler Homes, covering architecture, interior design, and art across Asia. Based in Malaysia, she oversees regional content on luxury residential design and contemporary art collections. Legally trained but choosing to pursue her passion for design, she previously led notable design publications and worked as an interior stylist and art consultant for property developers, design firms, and private clients.
