Chempenai House

1. CASE STUDY PAPER
ASIAN ARCHITECTURE | ARC 60403
RESEARCH TITLE
The effectiveness of egg-crate structure design in Chempenai
House to achieve user comfort, safety and enhanced quality of
space
NAME: CHEN EE DONG
ID: 0321181
TUTOR: PN YATI

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract
CHAPTER 1.0: Research Framework
1.1Introduction
1.2Overview
1.3Concept Mapping
1.4Aim/Objectives
1.5Methodology
1.6Scope and Limitations
CHAPTER 2.0: Achieving user comfort through passive design
(Response to Research Question #1)
2.1 Natural ventilation
2.2 Sun-shading
2.3 References to vernacular architecture
CHAPTER 3.0: Enhancement of spatial quality
(Response to Research Question #2)
3.1 Concept: Oneness with Nature

3. 3.2 Materiality
CHAPTER 4.0: Addressing Household Security
(Response to Research Question #3)
4.1 Recognizing threats to household safety
4.2 Mitigating security threats
CHAPTER 5.0: Conclusion
CHAPTER 6.0: Appendix
CHAPTER 7.0: References
Case study plagiarism check

4. ABSTRACT
The Chempenai House is a modern abode known for its egg-crate structure designed as
a response to the tropics. The intention of the study is to investigate the effectiveness of
concrete egg-crate structure design in pursuit of user comfort, safety and enhanced
spatial quality. The extent of success lies in determining benchmarked comfort levels,
presence of security compromise and the creation of poetic spaces. Correspondence with
the architect, data collection and literature review on the applications of egg-crate
structure is conducted to ensure a smooth research process. Under a same, climatic
context, there are also some close similarities between climatic design strategies of the
Chempenai House and vernacular Malay architecture. The scope of this study is limited
to the egg-crate envelope of the building rather than the building as a whole. Pragmatism
is highly regarded to achieve user comfort, as the introduction of the egg-crate structure
works effectively as a sun-shading strategy, reminiscent of Le Corbusier’s adaptation of
brise soleil. It has served its purpose to filter the harsh sunlight as well as ventilating
significant living spaces. The characteristics of this structure include metre-wide
rectilinear perforations of varying sizes, contributing to the openness of the abode, which
might be seen as a security compromise, but this is offset by elevating the structure high
above ground alongside increased security measures. Poetics are emphasized as the
structure serves to blur boundaries between external and interior environments, with
views of the surrounding context strategically framed, creating a visually integrating space.
The concrete egg-crate structure is a practical solution to the surrounding context,
responding aptly towards the site. It is anticipated that results from this study will
encourage pragmatic approaches towards a given context without forgoing spatial quality,
as observed in Chempenai House.
Keywords: brise soleil, egg-crate, passive design

5. CHAPTER1.0: RESEARCH FRAMEWORK
1.1Introduction
The relationship between building and nature is undeniably crucial and significant to the
architecture of today. The many factors of nature play an important role in the construction
and tectonics of the building which, if ignored, will cause a huge compromise to building
adaptability, compatibility and its user comfort to site. The Chempenai House is poetically
dubbed ‘Garden in a Box’ or ‘Tropical Box House’, as it is designed by WHBC Architects
as a response to the site.
As the approach to designing the Chempenai House is largely propelled by the objective
to solve problems posed by the tropical climate and terrain of the site, this paper aims to
identify the effectiveness of the egg-crate structure design in achieving user comfort,
safety and enhanced quality of space. This paper will explore the extent of success of the
egg-crate design in improving user comfort levels, determining the presence of security
issues and also the creation of poetic yet pragmatic spaces. The research questions
below will serve as a prompt to conduct this study:
1. What is the significance of egg-crate structure in encouraging natural ventilation
and sun-shading properties to promote higher user comfort?
2. In what way is the quality of space enhanced through the usage of egg-crate
façade?
3. How does the application of egg-crate structure affect the household security of
the Chempenai House?

6. 1.2Overview
Chempenai House is an unconventional dwelling located in Bukit Damansara, Malaysia.
Designed as a response to the tropical weather, Chempenai House is highly distinguished
for the pragmatic usage of the egg-crate structure, contributing functional and aesthetic
aspects to the modern abode and giving it distinct character in the midst of nature.
Located next to a jungle amongst the urban context, the Chempenai house is thoughtfully
designed to leverage on its site advantages inorder to provide greater user comfort, which
can be observed as a modern reinterpretation of vernacular housing. Great emphasis will
be placed on the role of the egg-crate structure in achieving user comfort, addressing
security risks and establishing an enhanced quality of space.

7. 1.3 Concept mapping
Figure 1.3a: Concept mapping
1.4 Research Objectives
The objective of this study identify the extent of success of egg-crate structure design in:
 Improving user comfort levels;
 Determining the presence of security threats, and if any, to what extent; and
 Creating space with poetic character

8. 1.5 Methodology
Information to conduct this study is gathered from a variety of sources. Personally
attending a talk hosting the architects behind the Chempenai House was extremely
enlightening as more detailed information regarding the building is revealed from WHBC
themselves. From the gathered information, the research questions were answered in
parts and summarized to develop a conclusion for future research.
Methodology Result
Live public talk by the architects A more detailed account of information regarding
the Chempenai House from its archtects.
Correspondence with visitors Actual unpublished photos of the building and
discussion about actual site experience
Online reference References to other similar building typologies,
Visual analysis and observation Self-analysis upon visceral and poetic qualities of
the building design
Literature review Definitions, keywords and key concepts (see
Appendix)
Data collection from site Wind speed and direction is recorded twice per day
for two weeks
Figure 1.5a: List of methodology

9. 1.6 Scope of Study
The scope of study for this research is limited to the implications of egg-crate structure
on site, safety and poetic response. This scope of study also only covers egg-crate
structure as a building envelop to study its application in relation to the site.

10. CHAPTER2.0: ACHIEVING USER COMFORT
(Response to Research Question 1)
What is the significance of egg-crate structure in encouraging natural
ventilation and sun-shading properties to promote higher user comfort?
One of the most extensive uses of the egg-crate structure is in passive design. To
celebrate the harmony between building and nature, Chempenai House is designed to
leverage on site advantages by responding in regards to building alignment, elevation
and spatial organization. The effectiveness of the application of egg-crate structure is
studied through two main passive design strategies: ventilation and sun-shading.
2.1 Natural ventilation
Passive ventilation is a means of ventilation using natural air movements to cool down or
ventilate a building. In this context, egg-crate structure is used in the Chempenai House
as a means to improve the comfort of residents by providing a cooler interior. The
perforations allow the passage of wind to flow from the building exterior to the interior,
ventilating the spaces with a slight breeze. To maximize the functions of the egg-crate
structure, Chempenai House is aligned strategically so that the building orientation faces
the north to capture prevailing winds from the southwest – the most commonly recurring
wind direction as recorded daily from site visits.

11. Figure 2.1a: Building orientation
strategically helps to capture prevailing
wind.
(Source: Winston, 2015)
Figure 2.1b: Plotted wind rose diagram
indicating average wind direction
Another site responsive strategy includes elevating the structure so that it sits above the
sloped terrain, providing a heightened platform to embrace prevailing winds. This is seen
as a contextual response from the house as the architects had mentioned that the building
is elevated to keep dampness and humidity out of the building, which is also a popular
approach used extensively in vernacular buildings (Winston, 2015).

12. Figure 2.1c: The house is elevated off the sloping topography as a response to
humidity, and also to capture prevailing winds.
(Source: Winston, 2015)
The spatial arrangement of Chempenai House is also designed sensitively around the
hierarchy of user needs. Ventilation is greatly emphasized at public spaces as to
maximize wind flow and circulate air at these places of assembly. Without the adequate
number of openings, the interior would feel stuffy and airless. Hence, besides the usage
of egg-crate walls along the length of the west façade, the southern end of the Chempenai
House is kept open, welcoming the prevailing winds into the house.

13. Figure 2.1d (Highlighted in red) Areas of the Chempenai House affixed with egg-crate
structure.
2.2 Sun-shading
The egg-crate structure used in the Chempenai House is a form of brise soleil, a term
popularized by Le Corbusier meaning ‘to break the sun’ (Thorsteinson, 2013). The house
is designed primarily in the attempt to fragmentize sunlight. As see in Figure X, the egg-
crate structure is a dominant feature as both roof and wall, designed in a cluster of
irregular grid structures with 900-millimetre deep perforations. The width of the egg-crate
structure is significant as to provide ample shade, fragmentizing sunlight and casting
shadows large enough to shade building occupants.

14. Figure 2a: Egg-crate structure
functions as a solar shading
device.
(Source: Soh, 2010)
Figure 2b: ‘Garden in a Box’ – building is enveloped
by plants. Trees serve as a secondary barrier for
sun-shading.
(Source: Liong, 2015)

15. Figure 2c: Living spaces (in blue), private rooms (in purple) and service rooms (in red)
demonstrates spatial hierarchy, calling for the application of egg-crate structure only at
appropriate places (living spaces).
(Original source: WHBC, 2010)
As seen in Figure 2c, the function-oriented space planning behind the Chempenai House
allows the application of egg-crate structure at public and open areas; private rooms
remain enveloped by solid walls to maintain user privacy and service rooms are bounded
by solid walls.
2.3 Reference to vernacular architecture
Chempenai House is designed with passive design strategies in mind, with the application
of egg-crate structure specifically used for ventilation and sun-shading purposes.
References of the basic design can be made to the vernacular Malay house, in which
similar ventilation and sun-shading strategies apply. According to Yuan (1987),
vernacular Malay housing is elevated up on stilts to capture higher wind velocities.
Besidesthat, stilts are often used due to prevent leakage of moisture into the living spaces.

16. Figure 2.3a: Natural ventilation and sun shading properties in a traditional Malay house.
(Source: Rizaluddin, 2014)
CHEMPENAI HOUSE DESIGN RESPONSES
TO SITE
TRADITIONAL MALAY
HOUSE
Egg-crate structure with grids
of 900 mm depth (standard
wall thickness is only 150 mm)
Sun-shading
properties
Large overhanging roof
eaves for shade
Perforations on the egg-crate
structure allows wind to
ventilate living spaces.
Ventilation Windows located at body
level
To prevent moisture and
pests, capture higher wind
velocity
Elevated above
ground
To prevent floods and
capture higher wind velocity

17. Figure 2.3b: Comparison between Chempenai House and traditional Malay house in
terms of passive design

18. CHAPTER3.0: CONTRIBUTIONOF POETIC ATTRIBUTES
(Response to Research Question 2)
In what way is the quality of space enhanced through the usage of egg-crate
façade?
It is no doubt that the egg-crate structure is a practical passive design strategy to filter the
sun and introduce breeze into the living spaces as discussed in the pveious chapters.
The egg-crate structure design does not only respond to the pragmatic need as an
efficient building envelop, but also instills a poetic quality to the Chempenai House.
3.1 Concept: Oneness with nature
WHBC Architects firmly believe in the philosophy of flexibility in design, or as the phrase
would put it, ‘going with the flow’ without fighting against the natural attributes of the site
(Ang, 2016). Oneness with nature is the concept behind the Chempenai House as the
architects seek to blur the boundaries between the interior and the exterior or the building,
and this is successfully done so by the implementation of the egg-crate structure at
strategic locations.

19. Figure 3.1a: Initial concept sketch for
Chempenai House.
(Source: WHBC, 2010)
Figure 3.2b: Egg-crate structure captures
strategic views of the surrounding context.
(Source: Soh, 2015)
One of the key ideas is to ensure the permeability of the boundary to maintain constant
visual connectivity with the surrounding foliage, which resulted to the Chempenai House
being dubbed ‘Garden in a Box’. The rectilinear lattice of the structure visually frames
strategic views of the site, allowing the user to enjoy the oneness with nature as they
continue to live and coexist. The egg-crate structure contributes a poetic character to the
Chempenai house as it celebrates the integration of living spaces with nature, which can
be further interpreted literally, as its perforated nature encourages and allows the
surrounding foliage to grow into the volume of the house, reinforcing the concept (Ang,
2015).

20. 3.2 Materiality
Off-formed concrete is used extensively in the Chempenai House, especially in the
construction of the unique egg-crate structure. Studying from WHBC’s past projects, off-
formed concrete seemed to be the architects’ favored material. It is revealed that the
material is chosen for its economic advantages and availability of labour (Mihaly, 2014),
but off-formed concrete also establishes poetic character to the house.
Figure 3.2a: Poetry of hard edges
against natural softscape.
(Source: Soh, 2015)
Figure 3.2b: Aging evidence on off-formed
concrete.
(Source: Liong, 2010)
In Figure 3.2a, under an interplay of light and shadows, there is a stoic poetry of brutalist
architecture amongst nature created by the contrast between softscape and the
harshness of concrete. Off-formed concrete is perceived to have a form of tactile
expressiveness and purity (Quddus, 2014). As observed in Chempenai House, off-formed
concrete has indeed aged well. The worn and weathered appearance is not perceived to
have affected quality of the design over time as compared to other material alternatives,
but have merely enhanced the rectilinear lattices of the egg-crate structure.

21. CHAPTER4.0: ADDRESSING HOUSEHOLD SECURITY
(Response to Research Question 3)
How does the application of egg-crate structure affect the household
security of the Chempenai House?
4.1 Recognizing threats to household security
Despite its pragmatic response in achieving user comfort levels through the means of
ventilation and sun-shading, the unorthodox design of Chempenai House calls for an
address to an immediate social issue prevalent in the Malaysia: crime. The crime index
in Malaysia has significantly increased by 4.6 per cent due to the increase of property
crimes, which include house break-ins (Shahrudin, 2016). Hence, the wide, unreinforced
openings of the egg-crate walls might pose as an area of concern, especially given the
social context. Comparing with human scale, the structure features a grid-like
arrangement with irregular dimensions, which are sufficient to accommodate the size of
an average adult. A visual replication of the issue can be seen in Figure 4.1 below.

22. Figure 4.1: A visual of human scale to the grid perforations of the egg-crate wall.
(Original source: Liong, 2015)
The sample concrete grids as seen in Figure X measures approximately to about 700
milliliters to 900 milliliters wide (standard door width) and 1200 milliliters to 1500 milliliters
tall. Due to the open concept of Chempenai House, the perforations might serve as an
entry point to intruders, instigating harm and threatening the wellbeing of the home
owners.
The security threat, if regarded as a convincingly significant issue, might pose as a safety
hazard to the building occupants. However, the next part of the study explores the
mitigating factors in the design of Chempenai House as a prevention measure to break-
ins.

23. 4.2 Mitigating security hazards
The likelihood of house-breaking might be prevalent due to the exposed, unreinforced
nature of the egg-crate structure, but other design aspects of the Chempenai House might
be able to compensate and mitigate such risks.
The design consideration that could potentially mitigate house-breaking is the lack of a
direct landing where the egg-crate wall is positioned. The grid of perforations on the
structure might potentially serve as an entry point for intruders. Instead of extending the
floor slab towards the open end, a void extends from the sloping ground to the elevated
structure, dissuading criminal activity.
Figure 4.2a and 4.2b: The lack of a direct landing connected to the egg-crate wall,
replaced by a void from ground.
(Original source: Soh, 2015)

24. CHAPTER5.0: CONCLUSION
Figure 5a: Summary of findings and analysis.
The egg-crate structure in Chempenai house is an efficient integration of pragmatics and
poetics. Initially intended purely for functional purposes in response to the tropical climate,
a deeper observation revealed that the egg-crate structure plays a strong role in
establishing the connection between human and environment. The architects’ philosophy
of embracing oneness with nature is translated effectively into its application. There were
also many design similarities between the Chempenai House and vernacular architecture,
and it can be concluded that the egg-crate structure is applied using fundamental
concepts of climatic design.

25. To a considerable extent, security threats are present due to the open and exposed nature
of the egg-crate structure. This conclusion might be able to contribute to future research
upon the forsaking privacy and security at the cost of good design to determine the
debatable relationship between form and function.

26. CHAPTER6.0: APPENDIX
Literature Review
Source Research
Methodology
Theory Findings
Quddus, S. (2014). Material Masters: Le
Corbusier's Love for Concrete. Retrieved
June 28, 2016, from
http://www.archdaily.com/574981/material
-masters-le- corbusier-s-love-for-concrete
Study on Le
Corbusier’s
on-paper
commentary
Brise soleil Brise soleil
is a
concept
popularize
d by Le
Corbusier
as an
effective
sun
shading
property in
tropical
climates
Roslan, Q., Ibrahim, S. H., Affandi, R.,
Nawi, M. N., & Baharun, A. (2016). A
literature review on the improvement
strategies of passive design for the roofing
system of the modern house in a hot and
humid climate region. Frontiers of
Architectural Research, 5(1), 126-133.
doi:10.1016/j.foar.2015.10.002
Literature
review
Improveme
nt strategies
on passive
design
Usage of
concrete
material as
effective
sun
shading
property.

27. CHAPTER7.0: BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
EBooks
1. Lee, A., Liong, S.Y., Lim, W.Z. (2015). Experiencing Malaysian Architecture.
Retrieved April 25, 2016, from
https://issuu.com/jessielyee/docs/theories_of_malaysian_architecture/1
Electronic Sources
1. Chan, S., Ar. (2009). Applying MS1525:2007 Code of Practice on Energy
Efficiency and Use of Renewable Energy for Non-Residential Buildings (pp. 1-22,
Publication No. MS1525). Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia. Retrieved May 22, 2016,
from http://www.greenbuildingindex.org/Resources/20090214 - GBI MS1525-
2007 Seminar/20090214 - GBI MS1525-2007 Seminar (CSA) Notes.pdf
2. Mihaly, W. (2014). Wen Hsia and BC Ang: Joyously pragmatic. Retrieved June 28,
2016, from http://architectureau.com/articles/wen-hsia-and-bc-ang-pragmatic-to-
the-core/
3. Quddus, S. (2014). Material Masters: Le Corbusier's Love for Concrete. Retrieved
June 28, 2016, from http://www.archdaily.com/574981/material-masters-le-
corbusier-s-love-for-concrete
4. Shahabuddin, M. M. (n.d.). Chapter 2: Malaysian Vernacular Architecture and Its
Relationship to Climate. Retrieved June 28, 2016, from
https://www.academia.edu/2377416/Chapter_2_Malaysian_Vernacular_Architect
ure_and_Its_Relationship_to_Climate

28. 5. Shahrudin, H. S. (2016). Malaysia's crime index sees 4.6 per cent increase.
Retrieved June 27, 2016, from
http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/05/144196/malaysias-crime-index-sees-46-
cent-increase
6. Winston, A. (2015). Tropical Box house is wrapped in a concrete "egg-crate"
Retrieved June 28, 2016, from http://www.dezeen.com/2015/09/05/tropical-box-
house-kuala-lumpur-malaysia-whbc-architects-wrapped-concrete-egg-crate-stilts/
Personal Communication
1. L.Y.Liong (personal communication, March 7, 2015)
Public Lecture
1. Ang, B.C. (2016, April 20). Conversations with the Situation. Lecture presented at
PAM Public Lecture in Publika Black Box, Kuala Lumpur