Architect Livina Cali was born in Surabaya, on the Indonesian island of Java, but visited Bali frequently as a child.“Growing up, Bali always felt familiar. My father travelled there frequently for work and would return with stories, souvenirs and local snacks. As a family, we also made several road trips to Bali,” said Livina, who has lived in Singapore with her husband for 17 years.She showed me a childhood photograph of her family surrounded by trees and green slopes, taken during a visit to Tampaksiring Presidential Palace. She could not have imagined that, decades later, she would build a home in the same part of Bali.About a 30-minute drive from Ubud, Tampaksiring is closely associated with the sacred springs of Tirta Empul, where Balinese Hindus take part in purification rituals.
The entrance to Rumah Subak is approached across a water garden, creating a gradual transition into the home’s open living spaces. (Photo: Iker Zuniga)
(Photo: Iker Zuniga)
Livina credits her time at Ernesto Bedmar Architects and Formwerkz Architects, as well as her current role at SCDA Architects, with cultivating her sensitivity to tropical design.At Rumah Subak, indoor and outdoor spaces flow into one another, framing the surrounding landscape and drawing shifting light across the house’s natural materials. The result is a home that feels open to its tropical setting without sacrificing shelter or privacy.Livina and her husband named the house Rumah Subak – rumah means “house” in Bahasa Indonesia – after the traditional irrigation system that shapes the surrounding rice fields.
