d+a | Issue 115 • Apr/May 2020

/ ABODE / 60 WITH ITS INSPIRED DESIGN CUES, STUDIO BIKIN’S LATEST OPUS EXPLORES VOLUME, LIGHT AND PRAGMATISM IN AN ARTICULATE BRICK DWELLING. RED, REAL, RETRO WORDS NIZAR MUSA / PHOTOGRAPHY FARAH AZIZAN, JUSTIN LEE, LOO JIE HSIN, KIN HIP SDN BHD. I n a secluded residential quarter of old Bangsar, Sudut House is an unintentional statement. Its moniker – in Malay, meaning “angle” or “corner” – is aptly coined by a proud owner describing her home that, among some in the 1970s-era neighbourhood, has been a subject of converse conjecture. But such is the draw of architecture well made, exemplified in this instance by a considered, functional and humanised design. A CLEAN SLATE With 6,500ft 2 of floor area, Sudut House replaces an existing single- 1 & 2. The folded lean-to roofs of metal standing seam create Sudut House’s silhouette of contrasting dynamism against the pervasive blocks of red brick. storey dwelling on the corner-lot site; both architects and owner decided a fresh design was a better option than to renovate the already heavily- renovated original. “The existing layout was disjointed and strange, we couldn’t salvage anything. So, it was a good decision to demolish and rebuild,” says Farah Azizan, director at Studio Bikin. Adds the owner who prefers not to be named, “It was more cost-effective that way, and you get the house that you want. You shouldn’t have to restrict your layout just to salvage a couple of walls here and there.” The end-result is a house defined 1 2