The clients wanted Spanish style for their home in Jakarta, Indonesia. That style works well in hot climates and urban settings where houses are typically built right up to the property lines. This design uses the property walls to create a series of courtyards that become outdoor rooms that provide privacy, and allow cooling flow-through air circulation in all the main rooms. The idea is that each courtyard has a unique identity and are placed such that the living space flows indoor and outdoors, making one never sure if they are inside or outside.
Fengshui governs some room locations, orientation, or relationship to other areas in the house. An exterior staircase provides access for business associates so they do not have to circulate through private family areas to get to the third floor studio and office. Layering of courtyard walls and tiered tile roofs with deep overhangs break up the scale and mass of the house as seen from the street.
The further development of this design can be seen here.
