This addition and alteration project redefines the rigid constraints of Malaysian strata-titled houses through the fluid expression of board-formed concrete.Acting as a dynamic ribbon, the textured concrete wraps the facade, seamlessly flowing from roof edges to walls, benches, and apertures.
Despite its inherent hardness, the material takes on a soft, sculptural quality, unifying exterior and interior spaces.Through its rhythmic lines and textures, concrete softens and crafts architectural spatial experiences, dissolving monotony.Here, concrete is not just structure but an architectural gesture of movement-framing light, shaping space, and enriching the sensory experience of living.
The Concrete Ribbon House is an architectural extension that redefines the rear of an existing home in Shah Alam, Selangor.Conceived as both an addition and a transformation, the project introduces a board-formed concrete “ribbon” that wraps, folds, and bends-softening the transition between old and new, and lending the house an entirely different character when seen from behind.
Rather than adding mass through conventional means, we approached the extension as a spatial and material intervention.The concrete ribbon – typically perceived as hard, cold, and heavy – is used here as a softening element.It flows across walls and ceilings, folds into benches, and frames views toward the garden, creating a quiet continuity between spaces, structure and landscape.What was once a typical back elevation is now a sculptural gesture – subtle yet striking, deliberate yet organic.
The new addition houses the dining area, family room, and wet kitchen.Though only a single storey in height, the spatial experience is lifted and expanded by the ribbon’s geometry.The way it bends and extends lends a monolithic feel – heightening the sense of enclosure while simultaneously opening the space toward daylight, breeze, and view.
Inside the wet kitchen, a translucent wall of glass blocks filters natural light into the interior while maintaining visual privacy.This gentle play of light and shadow reinforces the home’s calming atmosphere, echoing the texture of the concrete and the tactility of terracotta panels used within the interior.These panels act as subtle spatial dividers-grounding the space with warmth and quietly guiding movement throughout the open-plan layout.
Every element in the extension is driven by material honesty and restraint.The board-formed concrete carries the memory of its making-each grain imprints a mark of time and craft.As light shifts throughout the day, the textured surfaces come alive, adding a temporal layer to the built form.
The Concrete Ribbon House is not just a physical extension-it is a reinterpretation.It extends the life and language of the existing house through form, texture, and light.In doing so, it transforms the everyday rituals of family living into a quietly immersive spatial experience.
