Portfolio

004 – Realrich Architecture Workshop First Office

(EN)

RAW First Office is a 110-square-meter living experiment tucked away inside a family home in West Jakarta. Standing on a 150-square-meter plot, this project did not begin with an ideal canvas, but rather from a point of absolute zero fraught with limitations: the absence of capital and the constraint of tight space. Our journey began in 2011 in a 3 x 3-meter bedroom, which was later forced to creep and swell into a 3 x 10-meter garage area. We were confronted with two hypotheses that had to be tested simultaneously: could a micro-scale office foster creativity and community through bioclimatic design and raw materials? And how could a dual-structure layout adapt to Jakarta’s climate while balancing the delicate line between privacy and openness?

These hypotheses were answered with the ethos of bare craftsmanship—an approach to local carpentry that is naked, honest, and completely unpretentious. During the gradual expansion from the bedroom to the garage, we refused to tear down walls by more than a meter, opting instead to outsmart the existing door openings. We understood the structural limitations and harbored a hope that one day, the space could easily be reverted to its original function.

To maintain work efficiency within the garage, work desks, the pantry, and bookshelves were forced to grow in spatial increments of 10 square meters. The facade was assembled from perforated plywood louvers with concrete accents and black paint, acting as a shield that fortified the western side against the harsh heat and outside gaze, while simultaneously opening up north-south pathways for air circulation. Relying on a floor-to-ceiling clearance ranging from 3.2 to 3.6 meters, we executed a vertical expansion, ultimately equipping the room with a mezzanine for additional workspace and archival storage.

On the ground, however, assembling space amidst the squeeze of a residential neighborhood brought inevitable reality checks. Operating an architecture studio late into the night raised the risk of noise, demanding that we maintain privacy and harmonious relations with our neighbors. In response, plywood sliding panels and double-sealed glass were added to the facade and interior, dampening sound leakage and preserving visual boundaries.

When the confines of our walls grew increasingly cramped with the influx of student interns, we were pushed to seek new breathing room: building a treehouse structure in the branches of the mango tree out front, constructing a birdhouse on the roof, and ultimately erecting a knock-down plywood pavilion in the garden that integrated the functions of the courtyard. It was at this juncture that we were confronted with our own limitations. We realized that, at the time, assembling structural joints using glue instead of steel bolts was the absolute maximum threshold of the technical ingenuity and budget we could afford.

Today, after the firm’s main operations shifted to The Guild, RAW First Office is slowly returning to its original state. Certain parts have been restored to how they were, while others have been retained, such as the mezzanine floor which is now utilized for storage. This project taught us that architecture within confined spaces does not require luxurious materials, but rather a sensitivity for continuous adaptation. It is a tangible manifestation of the principle that it is always a work in progress: simplicity assembled with honesty, nurturing the harmony of the climate, the community, and the human memories held within it.

(IDN)

RAW First Office, sebuah eksperimen hidup seluas 110 m² yang terselip di dalam rumah keluarga di Jakarta Barat. Berdiri di atas lahan seluas 150 m², proyek ini tidak bermula dari sebuah kanvas yang ideal, melainkan dari titik nol yang sarat keterbatasan: ketiadaan modal dan ruang yang sempit. Perjalanan kami dimulai pada tahun 2011 dari sebuah kamar tidur berukuran 3×3 meter, yang kemudian terpaksa merayap dan membengkak ke area garasi berukuran 3×10 meter. Kami dihadapkan pada dua hipotesis yang harus diuji bersamaan: mampukah kantor berskala mikro menumbuhkan kreativitas dan komunitas melalui desain bioklimatik serta material mentah? Dan bagaimana tata letak struktur ganda mampu beradaptasi dengan iklim Jakarta sekaligus menyeimbangkan garis antara privasi dan keterbukaan?

Hipotesis itu dijawab dengan etos bare craftsmanship, sebuah pendekatan pertukangan lokal yang telanjang, jujur, dan apa adanya. Dalam ekspansi bertahap dari kamar ke garasi, kami menolak menjebol dinding lebih dari satu meter dan memilih mengakali bukaan pintu yang ada. Ada keterbatasan struktur yang kami pahami, dan ada harapan agar suatu saat ruangan mudah dikembalikan ke fungsi semula.

Untuk menjaga efisiensi kerja di dalam garasi, meja kerja, pantri, hingga rak buku dipaksa tumbuh dalam kelipatan ruang 10 m². Fasadnya dirakit dari kisi-kisi plywood berlubang dengan aksen beton dan cat hitam, bertindak sebagai perisai yang membentengi sisi barat dari panas dan pandangan luar, sambil membuka jalur sirkulasi udara dari arah utara-selatan. Mengandalkan jarak lantai ke langit-langit yang berkisar 3,2 hingga 3,6 meter, kami melakukan ekspansi vertikal, dan ruangan ini akhirnya memiliki mezanin untuk area kerja tambahan sekaligus penyimpanan arsip.

Namun di lapangan, merakit ruang di tengah himpitan perumahan membawa ujian realitas yang tak terhindarkan. Beroperasi sebagai studio arsitektur hingga larut malam memunculkan risiko kebisingan dan menuntut kami menjaga privasi serta hubungan baik dengan tetangga. Sebagai respons, fasad dan interiornya ditambahkan panel geser plywood serta kaca bersegel ganda, demi meredam kebocoran suara dan menjaga batasan visual.

Ketika batas dinding makin sesak oleh bertambahnya mahasiswa magang, kami terdorong mencari celah napas yang baru: membangun struktur rumah pohon pada dahan mangga di depan rumah, membangun rumah burung di atas atap, hingga akhirnya mendirikan paviliun plywood bersistem knock-down di area taman yang mengintegrasikan fungsi halaman rumah. Di titik inilah kami dihadapkan pada keterbatasan kami sendiri. Kami menyadari bahwa pada masa itu, merakit persendian struktur menggunakan lem alih-alih baut baja adalah batas maksimal dari kepandaian teknis dan anggaran yang sanggup kami jangkau.

Hari ini, setelah operasional utama firma bergeser ke The Guild, RAW First Office pelan-pelan kembali ke wujud aslinya. Beberapa bagian dipulihkan seperti semula, sementara sebagian lain dipertahankan, seperti lantai mezanin yang kini dimanfaatkan sebagai tempat penyimpanan. Proyek ini mengajarkan bahwa arsitektur di ruang sempit tidak membutuhkan material mewah, melainkan kepekaan untuk terus beradaptasi. Ia wujud nyata dari prinsip always a work in progress: kesederhanaan yang dirakit dengan jujur, merawat harmoni iklim, komunitas, dan ingatan manusia di dalamnya.