kiyakabin resort villa on lombok island, indonesia, derives from traditional local villages

‘kiyakabin’, a resort villa designed and built by atelier riri in 2017 on lombok island, indonesia, represents the traditional ethnic culture sasak. developed in collaboration with local artisans, the project combines the characters of vernacular living with modern low-energy building concept. the use of the material resources available in the area makes the house easier to adapt and sustainable for the environment. 

with a wonderful view of the bay, kiyakabin consists of four units randomly spread around the site. these arrangements are a representation of sasak village character that is developed vernacularly and with no order, while all of its components are in harmony with each other. each cabin has its own views — there is a house directly facing the beach, one that is oriented to the middle of the swimming pool, and a house with an extended view because is lifted from the ground. 

the interior spaces of each cabin have different functions — one of them caters to a public area, hosting a restaurant, a kitchen, and a storeroom. it can be used as a communal activity center as well, while also as a connector between the public and the private areas.

kiyakabin is built with construction techniques that are commonly used to build the sasak’s local houses — the connected wood structure system that the architects have used is adapted from a typical traditional house in lombok. the cover material is also made of wood taken from a garden that is planted and provided for the buildings there. 

project info:

name: kiyakabin

architects: atelier riri

location: lombol island, indonesia

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: maria erman | designboom