Brittany House, George Town, Malaysia

Traditional methods, modern techniques

BYG's Brittany House, Malaysia uses traditional methods of construction to apply modern sustainable techniques

15 Muntri Street, George Town was a typical early 1900s Chinese Straits Eclectic Shop House until it was transformed into a modern Peranakan home with details of contemporary retro interior architecture, integrated green requirements such as natural lighting, ventilation and rainwater harvesting yet constructed using traditional methods with lime plaster and finishes which allow moist to permeate to the surface, evaporate and form a natural cooling system for the house.

The spaces within the building were first opened up as a clean slate and reorganized around the 2 original courtyards. The forecourt was converted into an atrium with a glass roof cover and high fixed louvers to generate a “stack” effect whilst the rear court was enlarged and converted into a private garden.

The living hall now opens into the dining area through the atrium where a new spiral staircase is introduced as a centerpiece to bring vertical contiguity to the upper floor as well as between the public, semi private and private space. The open kitchen, formerly a dining room now views into the garden that is buffered away from the hustle of the city.

Level 2 consists of front section comes with 2 bedrooms that look out into Muntri Street and a private loft with a mezzanine study looking inward into the atrium. The back section meanwhile, features the Master Bedroom that overlooks the private garden, with an attached bathroom that peers into the atrium through the entirely louvered window wall. The view of the 3 tiered spaces through the atrium from the ground right up to the upper mezzanine study offers a unique and intriguing sense of space.
 

BYG Architecture Sdn. Bhd.
www.byggroup.com