Halo House, designed by Tamara Wibowo Architects, is a quietly expressive home in Semarang, Indonesia, where architecture, light and landscape are woven into a single living experience. Formed from two barn-like gabled volumes clad in charred timber, the house is anchored by a central concrete roof that unites a sequence of indoor and outdoor spaces.
Carved into this roof are a series of circular voids, known as “halos”, which give the project its defining identity. In the open-air zones, these voids welcome trees, sky and rain, turning the architecture into a living canopy. Inside, the circles soften into skylights, casting shifting rings of daylight that animate the interiors from morning to evening and transform rainfall into a sensory event.
The heart of the house is a generous dining area, flanked by full-height pivoting glass doors that open onto courtyards and a swimming pool. Here, boundaries dissolve: air flows freely, reflections shimmer, and spaces layer into one another. The pool itself occupies a poetic threshold, sheltered on one side by concrete and fully exposed on the other.
More intimate spaces unfold beyond, from the living area and guest room to the secluded main bedroom at the rear garden. Above, children’s bedrooms sit behind timber slats, opening onto a rooftop meadow of wild grass. Halo House is not just a dwelling, but a carefully choreographed dialogue between shelter and nature.
Project & images: https://www.instagram.com/tamarawibowoarchitects/
Article by: Lily Wong
