Photos by Design Network Architects. Please click on photo for captions.

In a melding of old and new, Chew House, located in one of the oldest residential areas in Kuching, sits majestically amongst pre-war family mansions. Designed by Kuching-based Design Network Architects (DNA), the modernised abode was winner of the single residential category in the PAM 2009 Awards.

Lauding it as displaying a “high level of craft in its planning and response to its climactic and physical context”, the PAM jury also remarked on its innovative play on space while retaining a sensible domestic form.

The structure, which lies recessed from the streetscape, gives it a sense of privacy and mystery. Steep gable roofs with deep eaves and projecting ledges shade terraces that form an extension to internal spaces, lending the house a richness of layered space and materials that embody the essence of contemporary living. This imposing grey-blue façade of granite, steel and timber eventually gives way to a softer interior of a water feature in the courtyard and lush, green sculptural trees.

The entrance lobby of the house sees an intersection and interplay of three elements, namely air, light and water. The 2-storey atrium flanked by an imposing glass and timber staircase creates a sense of space and helps modulate the airflow and climate, while light from the skylights streams in and reflects off the water from the pond flowing into the house.

Upstairs, the master bedroom and suite are separated from the rest of the sleeping quarters by the atrium and linked by a common seating room and a bridge. Greenery thriving on the walls and the verandah also adds depth to the rooms, while blurring the traditional boundaries between the house and landscape.

The architects also noted that with time, the trees that grow within the compound would eventually create a veil between the house and the street, cultivating a sense of mystery and old-world feel like the other pre-war mansions in the area.