inSight House

Malaysia

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inSight House

Malaysia

Firm

Core Design Workshop

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2023

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

BUDGET

$50K - 100K

Insight House is a small-budget remodelling project of an end lot in the terrace houses of UEP Subang Jaya, a satellite township outside Kuala Lumpur that was developed in the late 1980s. The built up area of the original house was approximately 1,430 square feet, and the finished project expanded it to around 2,000 square feet.

The project took place in early 2022, during the tail end of the Covid pandemic, when people were eager to venture out of their homes and construction materials were in high demand due to supply shortages. We were approached by a young married couple who had been living in the property throughout the entire pandemic, enduring multiple lockdowns. Their primary concern was that the original house felt suffocating and claustrophobic, despite it being intended for just the two of them and their dog.

Given the limitations of the budget and the rising costs of construction, our initial design approach was to challenge conventional user expectations and focus solely on the essential needs of the homeowners, rather than their wants. This led to the conceptualisation of "minimalise" as the guiding principle.

The original house was stripped down to its bare structure, with only the staircase and the roof remaining. Full-height walls were added to the front and rear extensions without any windows. Internally, the house was reconfigured and divided into two linear blocks: an indoor block and an outdoor block.

Indoor block: All the rooms were positioned in this indoor block, running alongside the neighbouring property, with bathrooms located at both ends of the block. Each room features glass sliding doors that open out to the opposite side of the house—the outdoor block.

Outdoor block: This linear double-volume semi-outdoor space houses an open dining area and kitchen, accompanied by semi-indoor tree gardens at both ends. To ensure adequate daylight and ventilation in this space, openings were punctured through the external walls. Suspended above the open kitchen is the extended lounge, which serves as the master bedroom, intruding into this side of the house and breaking the monotony of the linear double-volume space.

The design eliminates the need for curtains in any of the rooms, as they are transparently screened with full-height glass doors and windows. Privacy is ensured through the strategic placement of punched openings in the external walls, allowing glimpses of the outside world.

In Insight House, there is a deliberate intention to maintain a clear distinction between the indoor and outdoor spaces, although they coexist in an interdependent manner. Nestled within the white-washed outer shell, both the habitable indoor and outdoor spaces are insulated from the harsh tropical climate and the bustling environment outside.

The primary goal of Insight House is not to blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces nor to prioritise form and aesthetics. Instead, it seeks to express the richness of what lies inside, redefining the spatial experiences.

"To gain insight into the house, one must only get inside.”

Insight House is another house remodelling project that is aligned with the ‘Inside the Houses' series of Core Design Workshop.

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inSight House

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inSight House

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Other Projects by Core Design Workshop

inTerlace House

inTroVerse House

inSight House

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Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team

Articles