The Wrap House, is an alteration & addition assignment to a generic bungalow neighborhood. The goal is to introduce freshness and verve to a cookie cutter property which is distinguished by its façade of multiple gable ends without adequate overhangs to accommodate our erratic tropical weather.
Project Name: WRAP HOUSE
Studio Name: KKNG Architect
Architectural + Interior Design Team: Keat Ng, Cliff Khoi, Hui Qi
Consultants Team: Structural Engineer – Perunding Delima, M+E Engineer – Vone Consults Engineer
Builder: Synfrontier Builder Sdn Bhd
Project location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Completion Year: 2020
Gross Built Area (m2/ ft2): 450m2 / 4850ft2
Program: Alteration + Addition
Architect’s Website: http://www.kkngarchitect.com
Photo Credits: Jozefilms
The revitalization endeavor, identified these multiple redundant roof gables which brought strange interruptions to the interior, resulting in dark and gloomy compartments. By ridding them, we are able to unify some programs, making spatial relationships more meaningful. More visual connections and accessibility in a lateral and vertical manner are generated throughout the house at both floors. The frontal extension provided extra shed from direct sunlight and allowed a well illuminated front of house for living and entertainment.
The living, dining, master bedroom and family room which previously were highly exposed to the elements, now enjoy a new level of enhanced comfort. The newly aligned façade introduced voids fronting these rooms prior to the gardens rendering the rooms significantly setback from climatic elements and allowed more privacy as well. Aluminum lattices are inserted to the upper rectangle to enhance privacy after dark and again, addresses complementary environmental concerns.
The whole wrapping employs a gun-metal colored standing seam profile complete with insulation, merges the extended rectangle frame at the upper floor, with the outline of the most prominent front gable extruded to create a car porch, and indirectly conceived an illuminated void above.
The Wrap House is not only reviewed introvert-ly and had its program efficacy upgraded, it consciously placed much respect to the neighborhood ensuring that the alteration is always within context. The outline of the most prominent main-gable is retained and extruded flush with the newly extended frontage. Aluminum fenestration is allowed to the façade as a lateral ‘fold’, giving the upper floor of the house a floating effect and a contemporary edge while paying respect to the overall form and context.
