Modern family home in tropical climate has two wings and central courtyard

The two wings of this large family home are made of granite and fair-faced concrete a central reflective pool create cross ventilation to help cool the house

The two wings of this large family home apartment, architecture, building, condominium, facade, home, house, mixed use, neighbourhood, property, real estate, residential area, blue — The two wings of this large family home by architects Ong&Ong are clad with different materials to help break up the mass of the building. The wing on the left is clad in fair-faced concrete, while the one on the right is clad in granite.

The front wing of this family home by architecture, building, corporate headquarters, facade, home, house, property, real estate, residential area, roof, white

The two wings of this home by Ong&Ong architecture, building, commercial building, corporate headquarters, facade, home, house, mixed use, neighbourhood, property, real estate, residential area, black

This central courtyard in between two wings of architecture, building, courtyard, facade, home, house, property, real estate, residential area, tree, brown, white

The two wings of this home by architects architecture, building, facade, home, house, real estate, residential area

Opening up large glazed panels allows a architecture, condominium, estate, home, house, property, real estate, residential area, white, gray

This study room doubles as a reception and home, interior design, living room, real estate, room, brown, gray

The living area on the ground floor of architecture, courtyard, daylighting, estate, home, house, interior design, real estate, gray

The living area on the ground floor of apartment, architecture, building, condominium, courtyard, facade, home, house, mixed use, real estate, residential area, brown

This walkway over an ornamental pool links formal architecture, building, facade, house, interior design, gray, black

A family room in one wing of this architecture, ceiling, floor, hardwood, house, interior design, living room, property, real estate, room, window, wood flooring, gray

The guest bathroom in this tropical family home architecture, ceiling, daylighting, house, interior design, lobby, gray, black

One of the challenges when designing a substantial family home is how to create all the spaces the owner wants without giving them a large box with no light in the middle.

Ong&Ong architects Maria Arango and Diego Molina's solution for this home was to divide it into two wings. While this in itself is not an unusual approach, the way they've implemented it has produced a house full of contrasts and surprises.

"We started with a barn-like structure but didn't want a dark interior," says Maria Arango. "So we opened up the centre with a water courtyard that contains an ornamental reflecting pool."

The two wings that wrap around the water courtyard divide up the functional spaces of the house and feature different cladding materials.

The front wing contains the living and dining areas on the ground floor with the master bedroom and family room above. While the rear wing contains more of the services such as the kitchen, family dining, maid's room and a study.

"Having both wings in the same material would have been boring and given them the same importance," says Arango. "To establish a different hierarchy and to help break up the mass, the front wing is clad in granite while the rear wing is clad in fair-faced concrete."

The water courtyard between them forms a focal point of the home. It is planted with two willow trees, bringing greenery into the house, and allowing indirect natural light into the living area.

But the most impressive feature of the home is the way glass panels on both sides of the living and dining rooms can slide back to completely open them up.

Opening up large glazed panels allows a seamless architecture, condominium, estate, home, house, property, real estate, residential area, white, gray — Opening up large glazed panels allows a seamless flow between the lap pool, outdoor living area and the interior living and dining areas in this new home.

This creates a seamless transition between spaces, starting from the lap pool and garden at the front, to the front wing living room, through the courtyard and all the way to the kitchen in the rear block.

The void of the central courtyard also ensures cross-ventilation throughout the house. As hot air rises here, it pulls cooler air into the various rooms creating an efficient internal circulation system.