Shipping Containers in Tropical Island House, Lombok, Indonesia







Floor plans
About architect

ProjectClay House, Seven Havens Residence
ArchitectBudi Pradono
LocationSelong Belanak, Lombok, Indonesia
Containers2
Year2016


Shipping containers in this tropical island house in Lombok (Indonesia) appears to be slipping away from the rooftop of the residence. Clay House is built on a green hill in a beachside area Selong Belanak, in the southern West Nusa Tenggara province of an Indonesian Lombok island east of Bali.

The tropical island house is made up of two volumes set on concrete pillars to rise above surrounding tropical landscape and face towards the beautiful Indian Ocean. Seven Havens Residence is the name was given to the house by the owner.

The surroundings are currently undeveloped and architects say the shipping containers island house will be become a landmark in this place.

"In the presence of this location on the hill of course we have to be careful because this building will automatically become an icon of the surrounding environment," said the Budi Pradono architects.





Two shipping containers are placed at the highest point of the building, and are angled upward at 60 degrees to create a large space in the master bedroom. High ceiling allows a big window with glass doors that open to a wide terrace. The exterior of the tropical island house is painted white to reflect the sunlight and avoid overheating of the building constructions.

The shipping containers were sourced from a sea port of a nearby island; the containers still bear a "7h" orange logo. Building materials are cheap and local sourced. The clay for the walls was collected in the Lombok island, 20 kilometres from the building site and treated with a mixture of cement, sand, cow dung, and straw. To prevent overheating in the humid and hot climate the walls were built 30 centimetres thick.

Internal cladding was made using flattened bamboo. To make most of bamboo starch stay in the plant roots, the bamboo was harvested at night when no photosynthesis process was taking place. Bamboo then underwent a preservation process, which included submersion in a salt sea water for 60 days and after this a coating of paint. Other exposed natural materials were used throughout the tropical island house to complement the interior, like stone tiling and heavy wooden furniture.