What is a dream home? While the answer may differ from person to person, the haven/The Edge My Dream Home Awards recognise homes that are one of a kind and outstanding in design. The contest is open to houses in the Klang Valley and comprises three categories — detached/semi-detached, terraced and condominium.

This year, the contest, which debuted in 2006, was organised by The Edge and haven in association with Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM) and Institut Perekabentuk Dalaman Malaysia (IPDM). The main sponsor was Alliance Bank.

The gold award in the detached/semi-detached category went to the home of banker Fung Kai Jin in Sierramas, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, and was designed by John Bulcock of Design Unit Sdn Bhd. Two silver awards were given out this year, with one going to the weekend home of architect Almaz Salma Abdul Rahim of Almaz Architect, located in Kuang, Selangor, and the other to the detached home (built-up: over 20,000 sq ft) of David and Anushia Lingam in SS3, Petaling Jaya. The designer of the home was Tan Loke Mun of Archicentre Sdn Bhd.

In the terraced category, the gold was awarded to the home of Sheryn Pitman in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. It was designed by Pitman with help from architect Khairul Anwar A Jamil of Kasda Consultancy Sdn Bhd. A 3-storey house in Lake Fields, Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur, belonging to Loke Seok Eng and husband Ooi Boon Seong of Pdi Design & Associates, won honorary mention in the category. Ooi was the designer of the home.

A Zen-inspired duplex penthouse in Bunga Raya Condominium in Saujana Resort, Shah Alam, was the gold award winner in the condominium category. It belongs to Anthony Wong and was designed by Wong and Anand Krishnan of Manufakture Design.

The panel of judges comprised Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd group CEO and Alliance Financial Group Bhd director Bridget Lai ; PAM’s president Lee Chor Wah; IPDM’s president Hussein Hamzah; Malaysian fashion designer Sonny San and The Edge’s executive editor of property and retailing and editor of haven Au Foong Yee. The awards presentation was held on July 25 at 1 Utama Shopping Centre — the venue sponsor — in Petaling Jaya.

The judges looked for homes that:
•    Were aesthetically pleasing and well maintained;
•    Had sustainable structure and were environmentally friendly;
•    Offered comfortable living;
•    Pushed back the boundaries of architectural skills, design and taste; and
•    Promoted a strong sense of neighbourliness.

“This year’s winning entries not only pay homage to sustainability but also boast character and unique charm. It is not just about brilliant architecture or interior design. A dream home must be pleasing to the eyes as well as comfortable to live in,” The Edge’s managing director Ho Kay Tat said in a speech read out by Au. He noted an overall marked improvement in the quality of entries received this year, including more sustainable designs. The number of entries increased 27% from last year.

According to Lai, who presented the awards, the entries in the bungalow category were more focused on architectural design. The winning points, she said, were definitely in interior and architectural design and the clever use of space.

The prizes included two business-class tickets to Phuket (gold winners only), Sony home theatre system, vouchers from IKEA, Slumberland and Art Village, and flowers from Amtrol.

Find more details of the winning entries in the August/September 2009 issue of haven — a bi-monthly interior design and garden magazine published by The Edge. In conjunction with the awards, a photo exhibition is being held at 1 Utama (new wing) until Aug 9.

 

The winning homes

Gold award
Category:    Semi-detached/detached
Location:    Sierramas, Sungai Buloh,Selangor
Owners:    Fung Kai Jin
Designer:    John Bulcock of Design Unit Sdn Bhd


The 4,500 sq ft bungalow is made of concrete, glass and bamboo poles; its structure embraces the environment and features an abundance of light and ventilation. It was designed as a passive energy-saving house that allows in a lot of natural light and needs minimal air-conditioning. It is a series of spaces under one “floating” roof that unifies the house and the garden. Thanks to full-height glass louvres and sliding doors, there is ample cross-ventilation inside the home.

Owner Fung Kai Jin gave designer John Bulcock a blank canvas and he came up with a design in just a matter of weeks. The outcome is a beautiful home called Bamboo House the open concept of which gives one a sense of living outdoors.

Colourful artwork found around the house softens the rawness of its fair-face concrete surfaces and the use of stone floors, custom-made stainless steel works, hardwood doors and floors as well as concrete and natural bamboo, all of which make a “winning combination”.


Silver award
Category:    Semi-detached/detached
Location:    SS3, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Owners:    David and Anusha Lingam
Architect:    Dr Tan Loke Mun of Archicentre Sdn Bhd


It is impossible not to notice this house in SS3, Petaling Jaya, with its provocative design, sheer size on half an acre of land and signature monopitch roof. Designing and building the house took 3-1/2 years, resulting in an expansive and well-appointed house comprising a roof deck, three floors and a basement. Its built-up is in excess of 20,000 sq ft.

The fabricated steel deck offers an amazing 360-degree view of the skyline and a flight of steps leading up to the main entrance is bordered by a 20ft-tall rubble wall built by hand over two months. The defining feature of the interior is a rectangular courtyard, which offers views of the home from one end to the other.


Honorary mention
Category:    Terraced
Location:    Lake Fields, Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur
Owners:    Ooi Boon Seng & wife Loke Seok Eng
Designer:    Ooi Boon Seng of PdiDesign & Associates


This 3-storey home resembles a modern art gallery, with a huge artichoke pendant light hanging from the triple-volume ceiling in the living room and an ensemble of furniture by Charles & Ray Eames, Hans J Wegner and Philippe Starck, to name but a few.

The walls, kept almost picture free, serve to dramatise the interior while paintings are displayed on the floor. A lightly tinted glass wall between the dining and kitchen areas is among the interesting features of the home. A priority of the lady of the house, Loke Seok Eng, was to ensure the 2,690 sq ft home was easy to maintain without hired help. Predominantly white, the home oozes simplicity while its tall windows give it a sense of spaciousness and grandeur.

 

 

 

Silver award
Category: Semi-detached/detached
Location: Kuang, Selangor   
Owners:    Almaz Salma Abdul Rahim (B&A Family Holdings Sdn Bhd)
Architect: Almaz Salma Abdul Rahim


Located in Kuang, this home sits on two acres of agricultural land with rubber and fruit trees, herbs and goats, chickens and two horses. The main house boasts traditional Malay and modern architecture and is made entirely of recycled timber (cengal). The unvarnished wooden floor adds to the rustic feel of the 3,500 sq ft home.

Adjustable louvres, or described by the owners as “walls that breathe”, depict Kelantanese traditional design and were crafted by a Kelantanese who fashioned these out of wood salvaged from an old istana in Kuala Lipis, Pahang. A dip pool in the middle of the home serves to cool the interior; there are no air conditioners in sight, just ceiling fans. Most of the furniture found in the home are antique pieces from Melaka -- the second bathroom features decorative tiles from a house in Melaka that was marked for demolition.

Although it took the owners 2-1/2 years to build their house, it was time well spent as they love their self-contained abode with its water tank-cum-viewing deck and sprawling grounds.


Gold award
Category:    Terraced
Location:    Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur
Owner/Designer: Sheryn Pitman
Architect:    Khairul Anwar A Jamil of Kasda Consultancy Sdn Bhd


The remodelling of the corner house in Taman Tun Dr Ismail took more than two years. Its original built-up of 2,000 sq ft was transformed to 4,200 sq ft, complete with a lap pool replacing the garden. The extra 2,200 sq ft was the result of removing plaster ceilings and adding another level as well as an extension that ate into part of the land that housed the garden.

The design of the house is well thought out because more rooms can be added without any hassle later by just fixing doors. Australian owners Sheryn and husband David purchased most of the raw materials for the home themselves to control costs and even did some of the remodelling without the assistance of contractors to achieve the desired effect. The entire remodelling cost RM600,000.

Time, effort and meticulous planning culminated in a design that is contemporary and pragmatic.

 

 

 

Gold award
Category: Condominium
Location: Bunga Raya Condominium, Saujana Resort, Shah Alam
Owner/Designer: Anthony Wong
Designer: Anand Krishnan of Manufakture Design


The 4,000 sq ft duplex penthouse offers panoramic views of Saujana’s signature golf course. Transformed from an old apartment, described by the Wongs as haphazard, into a modern home with open spaces and clean lines, its minimalist appearance reflects the owners’ way of life.

Plenty of storage space has been created through built-ins cleverly concealed behind mirrors and wall panels and in nooks throughout the house, making it practical and tasteful looking. The focal point of the condominium is its double-volume floor-to-ceiling windows and the picture-perfect frame effect is the result of wooden mounting around the windows.

 

 

 

This article appeared in City & Country, the property pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 766, Aug 3-9, 2009.

 

 

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