This modern house in the tropics is built on tilts to raise it from the ground and there's one more unique feature - a shipping container on its top as an additional volume.
Clay House designed by architect Budi Pradono is set on a hill in an Indonesian island east of Bali, and what’s special about it – it shows off a unique design feature: there’s a shipping container that seems to be slipping away from the top of the house.
The residence is made up of a pair of volumes set on concrete stilts to rise above surrounding trees and face towards paddy fields and the Indian Ocean. Placed at the highest point of the house, a 2.2-metre-high shipping container is angled upward at 60 degrees to create a high ceiling in the master bedroom, and a big window with doors that open to a terrace. The exterior is painted white to reflect the sun and avoid overheating.
The walls are covered with clay treated by craftsmen with a mixture of sand, cement, straw, and cow dung as using local materials was one of the designer’s ideas. The board-marked walls, which are 30 centimeters thick, help to prevent overheating in the hot and humid climate. Flattened bamboo provides internal cladding. Exposed natural materials also feature throughout the residence to complement the building materials, like heavy wooden furniture and stone tiling, and the result is a unique blend of minimalist and industrial styles with a tropical feel.
The container seems to be slipping down but don't worry, it won't fall, it's attached and secured.
All the facades are painted white to avoid overheating during the day, and there's a wooden deck outside, with a cool swimming pool.
There's much greenery and flowers outside as the house is located in one of the islands east of Bali.
The master bedroom is very minimalist and is focused around the gorgeous views, almost all the walls are glazed.
The en-suite bathroom features some windows, too, and there's a free-standing bathtub, a concrete vanity and much wood in the decor.
There's an entrance to the terrace from the master bedroom; the terrace is clad with stained wood and tiles.
The inner decor on the whole is a unique mix of minimalism and industrial style, there's much wood including bamboo, which is a local material.
The walls are made thick and covered with special mixtures of clay and other local materials to avoid overheating, and the rest of the decor just matches the look.
Wood, metal and concrete are used to finish the interiors, and there's some light-colored upholstery, too.
