Villa Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Jayabalan residence is a tropical resort-style house with a strong colonial influence.  Asian antiques, colonial columns and carvings decorate the interior at every turn. The main living space downstairs opens out into the garden and fishpond, which merges with the house and brings water into the building, symbolic in Asia as a source of life.

An elevated garden has been designed on this steep site, capturing the view across the hills and creating flat lawn play spaces. A 30-year old banyan tree peeks through the suspended concrete slab, giving the garden and the adjacent swimming pool an immediate sense of place.

By unifying the inside with the outside in the clever use of space, the house is magnified and truly embraces the Pentago design philosophy of the garden integrating seamlessly with the building.