“Villa Tantangan” is a single family residence located in Nyanyi
Beach, a private and secluded beach on the west coast of Bali. Constructed on 6500sqm of land overlooking
the Indian Ocean to the west and a natural river system to the north, the
villa also boasts views across to the local beach temple and to volcanoes in
the distance. Given such a spectacular
location, the challenge for Bali-based design firm Word of Mouth was to
create architecture that truly connected with its surroundings. The design followed the concept of creating a ‘Landscaped
Architecture’, whereby the boundaries between the natural and built
environments become blurred. The design utilizes a layout whereby the buildings are formed
around the central courtyard, creating intimate internal spaces between the
buildings, and more open spaces towards the perimeter. The buildings are
situated on different levels of the land and are treated like giant planter
boxes, each with a roof landscaped by either natural vegetation or
ponds. In doing so the architecture
not only sits sensitively on the land, but actually becomes part of it. The planter boxes also provide cooling
effects to the spaces below and assist with rainwater collection. Because of the remote location of the project, it was important
that the Villa could operate self -sufficiently. To achieve this, a number of
green systems and design approaches were adopted. The splitting of building forms created
natural ventilation through the site, as well as through each individual
building; effectively cooling the spaces and reducing the strain on the system
of solar panels and batteries. The material palette is largely comprised of natural and locally
sourced materials, meaning that not only could local suppliers and artisans
be supported by this initiative, but also that the carbon footprint of the
building could be further reduced. In
adopting this approach the material palette becomes a true reflection of the
building’s location, further blurring the line between the architecture and
its landscape. |