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architecture of main house

Above: Entrance to underground gallery from loggia.

Above: View of main house with loggia and cascade at left.

Above: View of main house from guest house, across reflective pool

Above: Catwalk in upstairs bedroom.

Rimbun Dahan is the home of architect Hijjas Kasturi and Angela Hijjas, in the village of Kuang outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 14-acre site was alienated from the Crown in 1926 as Malay Reserve when it was cleared and planted with coffee. Rubber planting was prohibited for fear that small holders would compete with British owned estates. Hijjas bought the land in 1972.  

The main house was completed in 1991, after staff quarters in 1989. The basement gallery was built in 1995/6, the classic car gallery, dance studio and artists studios and apartments in 1997. The move and restoration of the village house from the state of Perak was finished in 1998.  

Although the main house is built of steel and concrete, the form of the house relates to traditional Malay timber architecture. When the security shutters at the ground level are open the it is exactly like a Malay house on stilts, except for its transparent contemporary character, as kampong or village houses are completely closed at night to keep spirits out. The pitched roof and deep overhangs are another obvious similarity to traditional architecture.

The avoidance of timber as a building material was to make a statement about finding alternatives when Malaysia’s forests are so threatened.

The main house and guest house are linked by a covered loggia that overlooks the water garden and cascade to one side. The 500 square meter gallery is underground on the other side,  beneath the entrance plaza. The gallery is enclosed and dehumidified, and can be air conditioned when in use.The rest of the house relies on through ventilation and ceiling fans.

The steel structure extends beyond the roof line to create an architectural form that refers to traditional buildings, even though they do not create useable spaces.Chosen materials were local wherever possible:traditional finishes like Shanghai plaster and terrazzo were used for structural concrete and floors, but the copper roof was an innovation that attempted to provide permanent colour.Unfortunately it has been affected by acid rain (a result of climatic change with industrialization) that tends to turn it black rather than the preferred green.

The house and underground gallery is the centre of the residency programme for Australian and Malaysian artists that is supported by Hijjas’ architectural practice, Hijjas Kasturi Associates. 

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