alexis dornier has topped the two-story‘alpha house’in ubud, bali, with a sculptural, undulating roof. designed as a stack of two distinctive architectural expressions, the residence consists of a simple box volume on the ground floor, which acts as a pedestal for the level above. the top level features a series of twisted surfaces that express themselves as walls and ceilings, repeated to create a rhythmic sequence.
all images by KIE, drawings courtesy of alexis dornier
in‘alpha house’, alexis dornier has created a uniform exterior where walls become roofs, resulting in a silhouette with an iconic and rhythmic pattern. blending into its environment, the sculptural residence echoes the rolling mountainscape of bali in the background, while its east-west orientation provides self-shading and shields off neighbors. the project’s materiality is mainly defined by kerobokan stone, a local hard sandstone found in the vicinity of the site, which represents a traditional material used in balinese constructions.
the residence consists of two levels defined by a simple, practical, and repetitive layout. the ground floor, which is designed as a simple box volume, holds the living room, kitchen, foyer and garage, while the top floor encloses bedrooms, bathrooms, and balconies. outside, a pool runs parallel to the building’s direction and reflects it’s wavy character in the water plane.
project info:
name: alpha house
architect: alexis dornier
location: ubud, bali
size: 280 m²
construction: surya kembar
