September_1966 — Page 45

the south a new road is to be con- structed.

Thus the house was designed to look inwards, to be shielded from ob- servation from outside and give pri vacy to the occupants. There is an enclosed area between the building and the higher ground at its back which is protected by the high ground, and by the building and screen wall.

This enclosure contains the ground floor entrance to the house, the swim- ming pool and the sitting area. Lower down the slope, at the side of the building, is the entrance to the base- ment. The other end of the house also has an entrance at basement level, from a courtyard area; from here steps lead up to the swimming pool or down to the lower part of the garden. to the side of the building.

The lower garden is also sheltered from the outside, by a wall which runs along the southern side of the lot. At the south west corner the ground on the far side of the bound- ary wall is considerably lower and falls away towards the beach below.

Small Ground Floor

The house is not at all formal or awe-inspiring and though large does not appear too big for a single family dwelling. The total floor area is about 5,500 sq. ft. A little over 2,500 sq. ft. of this is on the top level, the first floor, and the rest divided between the lower floors. Since there is a car port for two cars under the first floor. directly adjacent to the ground floor entrance, the ground floor is in fact the smallest of the three levels.

A main reason for the size of this house is that it is not designed merely for the present needs of the occupants but for any future needs which may arise. As an architect, the owner may sometimes want to work in the house and use it as an office. There is a long space on the south side of the first floor which can be divided in different

BATH

BED 1

CLOSET

First floor plan

East elevation showing the three levels and the cantilever of the first floor

ways with light partitions, and used for working space or family rooms.

There are five bedrooms, all along the north side of the first floor. These overlook the sheltered area with the

TINI)

3

CORRIDOR

i

STUDY

swimming pool and main entrance. Each bedroom has its own bathroom and SO is private and self-contained and may be used

by someone who is not a member of the family.

The master bed- room. with its larger area, is at the western end of the

building and is connected with the sitting area on the south side. This is the part of the house with the best views of the sea and the surrounding rugged landscape.

In addition to the family rooms on first floor there are sitting and dining rooms of the ground floor. These are used for entertaining. There is also a bar and small kitchen on this level in an area which in fact forms a "nodal point" for the house, placed as it is next to the stairs to first floor and basement. The basement contains the servants' rooms and service areas and has an open utility area running along it length.

On the north side of the house, ad-

CLOSE

CLOSE T

WATER TANK

ROOF LEVEL

IDOR

FIRST FLOOR

PORCH

LIVING

HALL

DINING

GROUND FLOOR

SERVANT BATH SERBANT ! KITCHEN

Section B-B

Far East Architect & Builder September, 1966

STORE

BASEMENT

WATER TANK

BE:

FIRST FLOOR

VERANDAH

Section A—|

FLOOR

SEMENT

41

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