A Meditative Entrance - Rumah RifBagus is a fulfilled dream house for a young family done by converting two dilapidated houses into a light-filled family abode. Located vis-a-vis the local elementary school in the East Jakarta neighborhood, noise reduction becomes the main concern of this dwelling. To overcome that, the required setback is designed as a buffer: using a tunnel-like hanging custom 3D calligraphy wall combined with a lush landscape in the entranceway. Its disposition then becomes prevalent throughout the whole entrance flow by not only creating texture but also serving as a meditative sequence for its inhabitants in a well-defined space. The entrance arrival is curated into a series of specific opportunities that may not be novel anymore: an entry porch, a private courtyard, and a niche entrance for a guest bedroom terrace in the pavilion. Yet a diagonal wall confidently protrudes to functionally become a public-private separator of those places after walking through a bold sequence in the entranceway. Whereas aesthetically the diagonal wall is instilling a character in a desirable manner. The wooden ground of the whole entrance area sits a spacious resort-like flow that feels both comfortable and functional, and those who make an entry seem to pick an unhurried atmosphere up on the porch with a mudroom-like function. Completed with a spacious bench, the foyer is served as a guest area for chit-chatting with acquaintances.
© Mario Wibowo

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