“Villa Tantangan” is a single family residence located in Nyanyi Beach, a private and secluded beach on the west coast of Bali.  Constructed on 6500sqm of land overlooking the Indian Ocean to the west and a natural river system to the north, the villa also boasts views across to the local beach temple and to volcanoes in the distance.  Given such a spectacular location, the challenge for Bali-based design firm Word of Mouth was to create architecture that truly connected with its surroundings.

The design followed the concept of creating a ‘Landscaped Architecture’, whereby the boundaries between the natural and built environments become blurred.  This became an important mechanism in establishing not only connections between the natural and built environments, but also between these environments and the building’s inhabitants.

The design utilizes a layout whereby the buildings are formed around the central courtyard, creating intimate internal spaces between the buildings, and more open spaces towards the perimeter. The buildings are situated on different levels of the land and are treated like giant planter boxes, each with a roof landscaped by either natural vegetation or ponds.   In doing so the architecture not only sits sensitively on the land, but actually becomes part of it.   The planter boxes also provide cooling effects to the spaces below and assist with rainwater collection.

Because of the remote location of the project, it was important that the Villa could operate self -sufficiently. To achieve this, a number of green systems and design approaches were adopted.  The splitting of building forms created natural ventilation through the site, as well as through each individual building; effectively cooling the spaces and reducing the strain on the system of solar panels and batteries.  

The material palette is largely comprised of natural and locally sourced materials, meaning that not only could local suppliers and artisans be supported by this initiative, but also that the carbon footprint of the building could be further reduced.  In adopting this approach the material palette becomes a true reflection of the building’s location, further blurring the line between the architecture and its landscape.