The Distort House is a Spliced Home That Adds A Pinch of Green to Indonesian Tradition

Indonesian architects <a href="http://www.twspartners.com/" target="_blank">TWS &amp; Partners</a> have put a modern green twist on traditional Southeast Asian housing with their new jigsaw shaped home called the <a href="http://www.architizer.com/en_us/projects/view/the-distort-house/30114/" target="_blank">Distort House</a>. When most people think of a house, they picture a solid, four-sided structure with a door, a roof, and windows. Distort House intentionally refutes this assumption, literally breaking up our preconceptions of what a home should look like.

Located directly across the street from a public park in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakarta" target="_blank">Jakarta</a>, Distort House is placed at the very back of it's large plot and turned a slight 15% to optimize the expansive yard space. The grand green entrance breaks up monotony of the residential block while opening and lightening the front of the home.

The lower level living room is especially spectacular because it is built with no walls or windows at all. Occupants feel as though they are living outside in the tropical atmosphere.The completely open space is not only for gathering and relaxation, but also serves as the home's main channel for breathing, allowing fresh air to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_ventilation" target="_blank">naturally ventilate</a> throughout the different sections.

The varying levels are bridged together by a twisting staircase that travels inside, outside, up, and down the home in an<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Escher%27s_Relativity.jpg" target="_blank"> Escher-like</a> fun house way. The stairs cross over a courtyard that blurs the line between interior and exterior, existing seemingly in both parts of the house.

A house so connected with nature certainly includes a number of green features as well. Most of the building materials are recycled, including the steel beams and even the wood for every single window. Using the original wood frames, each window is a unique size and style, creating a funky patchwork along the sides of Distort Home.

Exposed concrete also doubles as shelving and multiple cooling agents for the house.

The home's unglazed <a href="http://www.ehow.com/info_8677904_clay-keep-house-cooler-hotter.html" target="_blank">terracotta roof </a>not only provides shade but also proves to be very porous, allowing air to flow through the house while retaining much of the tropical heat to keep the building cool. Definitely the coolest house on the block (literally and figuratively), maybe the neighbors will soon take after it and begin a trend of distortion.