Hidden Habitat

Depok City, West Java, Indonesia

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RBM Project

Hidden Habitat

Depok City, West Java, Indonesia

Firm

Inklusi.dsg

Type

Residential › Student Housing

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2024

SIZE

0 sqft - 1000 sqft

BUDGET

$500K - 1M

Text description provided by the architects. Hidden Habitat is a 10-room boarding house located at the end of a narrow dead-end alley within a dense urban neighborhood. The access road, measuring only around three meters wide, allows just a single car or motorcycle to pass at a time — a familiar condition throughout many compact residential areas in the city. Situated in a lively student district where pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcycles constantly animate the streets, the project embraces the intimacy and density of its surroundings rather than resisting them.

Tucked away from the main road, the building initially feels concealed behind layers of houses and vegetation. Yet this hidden quality becomes the project’s main identity. Hidden Habitat was envisioned as a small urban retreat amidst the crowded environment of rental housing, offering students a calmer and more breathable living experience within the intensity of the city.

The idea of “hidden” is not only about physical location, but also about creating a gradual spatial discovery. The architecture intentionally withholds the experience to create moments of surprise. Upon entering, visitors are guided by a floating wall partition and subtle changes in direction before arriving at a compact communal courtyard — the social heart of the house. This sequence transforms the act of coming home into a small journey, where spaces slowly unfold rather than reveal themselves all at once.

Although not intended as a resort, the project adopts the atmosphere of a tropical retreat, providing a relaxing transition from the surrounding urban chaos. Honest materials such as exposed brick, natural stone, raw concrete, and textured plaster are left visible to create a warm and grounded character. Curved brick walls soften the rigid geometry of the compact site, while a zigzag arrangement of perforated breeze blocks becomes the facade’s focal point. Beyond aesthetics, these porous layers function as passive ventilation, allowing trapped hot air within the corridors to escape and circulate naturally.

At the center of the building, two large skylights act as the lungs of the project, drawing natural light and fresh air deep into the communal corridors, stairways, and private rooms. Spaces that would typically become dark transitional hallways are transformed into bright, breathable social areas filled with greenery and soft natural shadows throughout the day.

The communal corridors are designed not merely as circulation spaces, but as extensions of daily living. Slight level differences between corridors and bedrooms subtly define public and private zones. Small steps in front of each room double as informal seating and integrated storage, encouraging spontaneous interactions between residents while maintaining privacy from visitors.

Despite each bedroom measuring only around 11 square meters, the rooms are carefully arranged using a linear furniture layout that clearly separates functional and circulation areas. Opposing windows enable cross ventilation, reducing dependence on air conditioning, while full-height mirrors amplify the perception of space within the compact interiors.

Ultimately, Hidden Habitat is more than temporary student housing. Hidden behind a small alley, it becomes a place where residents unexpectedly discover calmness, social connection, and a sense of home within the density of urban life.