From its foundations and floors to columns, solid interior and exterior block walls, this house embraces concrete as a material in every possible way – yet manages to maintain a level of cozy comfort and respectful regionalism rarely seen in concrete home construction.

The concrete is left uncovered in most places by paint or wallboard, save for the ceilings that were painted to reflect natural and artificial light throughout the interior spaces. Even bathroom, bedroom and kitchen areas feature walls of largely-exposed, solid- gray concrete.

In key interior locations, green vegetation is placed in order to create contrast between man-made and organic elements – an effect also employed with infill furniture, cabinetry and other necessary furnishings (composed mainly of wood and plywood).

This home was designed by SUB Studio as a low-budget, sustainable and easy-to-build home prototype in Indonesia – and uses region-sensitive scales and support materials in addition to the core cast-in-place and concrete block structure. The building makes maximum use of natural ventilation, the thermal properties of concrete and was constructed for less than $20,000.

“This project shows Indonesian house in SUB. Studio vision. it calls “D-minution House”. Intended to reach affordable house. Defining space by creating areas of grey (concrete) and green, to reflect the built and unbuilt spaces blending together, the house demonstrates a gestalt effect of the architecture being greater than the sum of its humble parts. This occurs on a small site of 93 square metres.”

“As a space-economising strategy, we defined a zoning scheme where the circulation hierarchies that one would assume get upended. As such, the maid and pantry areas line up near the front entrance. This allows for a larger space for the living room and dining areas, which blend in with the terraces, thereby creating a multifunction area. This is enhanced by a large window opening up to the main green area.”