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Collection by Diana Budds

A Tropical Indonesian House that Spirals Out from a Central Courtyard

In the house he designed for himself and his family, architect Ivan Priatman explored his view of tropical modernism: “I try to reinterpret the tradition or the vernacular into the contemporary,” he says.

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The house is intended to be experienced as a continuous sequence from the public living areas to the private office and bedrooms. Instead of organizing the plan linearly, Priatman thought of it as a spiral that wraps around a central green space.
The house is intended to be experienced as a continuous sequence from the public living areas to the private office and bedrooms. Instead of organizing the plan linearly, Priatman thought of it as a spiral that wraps around a central green space.
“The intimate courtyard, with a concrete floor and plants, is an homage to many charming places in Southern California, where my wife and I lived for four years before getting married," says Priatman.
“The intimate courtyard, with a concrete floor and plants, is an homage to many charming places in Southern California, where my wife and I lived for four years before getting married," says Priatman.
In his studio, Priatman blew up an aerial photograph of Surabaya, where he is based, to map his current architectural projects.
In his studio, Priatman blew up an aerial photograph of Surabaya, where he is based, to map his current architectural projects.