“House of Bamboo”. Such homes are often referred to as elements of bamboo as a decorative element but also as the main material in the structure of the building. Bamboo has strength and high elasticity so that it can be used as a wood substitute building materials and steel.

Building Mass Concept

Planning and design of this house came from the concept of family and number of family members. Building mass is divided into three areas. The first area is the East building mass to area parents, is private. The second area is a bale-bale in the middle of the bamboo open land for common areas, are public. The third area is the western building mass to area children, are semiprivate. The concept of the physical form and layout of the mass of the building itself is adjusted by the presence of clove trees which 9 were in the land before the start of the construction process. This is what led to the emergence of the concept of lean construction. Namely, the mass of the building is made with a modular system with a column spacing of 3.5 to 4 meters are placed among the clove trees that flourished and is still productive.

East side building mass and the West side building mass have their own stand. All sleeping rooms are on the top floor of each building mass to privacy more secure. The ground floor consists of guest rooms, dining room and pantry, large kitchen. To the ground floor, two buildings connected by a mass-bale bale open bamboo which is the center of this house. Bale-bale is large enough that 50 m2 and designed without walls and doors that open freely to the front facing the house and into the back of the house. The bamboo Bale-bale and bamboo bridges are using bamboo sticks as a floor intact. The block using bolts techniques.

For the top floor, two masses connected by a bridge structure is also designed bamboo open. The bridge is just above the bale-bale of bamboo that also functions as a roof for the bale-bale. The bridge is expected to be given a roof to cover the tent structure. This open space designed to be interwoven relationships and harmony between the inner and outer space.

Finally we can see the desire designer and owner of this house who tried to apply the concept of green architecture through the concept of recycling, respect for the existing presence of clove trees, use of bamboo material in innovative way and combining with the use of secondhand materials has produced a work of architecture and environmentally friendly deserve our appreciation.

When decorating interior of your house, window treatment it is of great importance. These days on the market you can find many different window treatments practically for every room and you can get inspired with them and design some lovely and attractive treatments for your window.

First and most important window treatment idea is to consider the purpose of the window treatment – to admit or block sunlight, to provide privacy, architecture. Once window’s advantageous are decided you have to pay attention to the shape and size of the window, design of the room and the style you want to create in it: traditional, contemporary, country. Then you must take into account the direction of sunlight, the color scheme of the room and the maintenance.

All these will help you to find the right window treatment – curtains, damask draperies, decorative rosettes, blinds, shutters or shades. Then we come to the choice of the texture – cotton, linen, wood, vinyl etc. Make sure your window treatment ideas provide the right texture to balance and synchronize a room.

Another important idea to consider in window treatment is the color. For a harmonious feel, bear in mind the dominant color of your interior design with flooring, paint-work, fabrics and accessories.

There are plenty of window treatment ideas and house painting tips you can get inspired from. Here are some tips to help you make difference in the general look of your home:

• If you want to leave impression for a large window your choice must be bold window treatment.

• If you want to give your square window soften look than drapery is a good choice.

• If you are decorating small space is better to use simple window treatment and for a larger area precious treatment.

• If you’ve got wooden blinds or shutters than a lace curtains are a good match.

• If you’ve got mini blinds is good to combine with funky drapes.

• If you’ve got bamboo shutters the best choice is matching them with linen curtains.

• If you want to give your sliding glass window attractive look than you should use horizontal blinds.

• If you have multiple windows, in order to create a cohesive look, ensure that you will use similar window treatments.

Window treatment is one of the most popular and effective way to improve interior decorating of your home. When carefully thought out and planned, when practical and decorative issues are solved you will have window design you can live with in harmony.

Every area has influences that drive the local architecture. The local climate, both literally and economically, are the main driving forces. Tampa home architects must understand and respond to those forces.

With the individual client, economic forces can be boiled down to the client’s budget and design requirements.

Purchasing a home in a residential tract, generally speaking, saves on budget. A contractor doing a residential tract can send his contractors from site to site with very little ‘down time’. Since the subcontractor’s job from site to site is repetitive, he/ she can purchase materials in bulk, further saving on budget. Building completion is usually quicker than in the custom home for many of the same reasons. The ‘Florida style’ is arguably a result of more tract homes. Floor plans are often more ‘basic’ in tract homes. The entry ‘look’ very often is dominated by a raised, sometimes arched entry element and by garage doors. Foam surrounds highlight window areas and, as with some custom designs, stucco is the covering of choice. Stucco is a very versatile, climate appropriate enclosure material for both tract and custom homes in or near Tampa. A larger budget for design and construction usually translates into a custom design/ custom home.

Whether tract or custom, Tampa home architects should attend to climate concerns. Coastal areas are, in general, more subject to wind and storm surge damage than interior areas. Building departments in the higher risk areas require, for example, that windows and doors be ’impact resistant’. Impact resistant (resistant to flying debris) windows and doors are, as expected, quite expensive as compared to the non- impact variety. Hip roofs are considered less of a risk and more structurally stable than gable end roofs in high winds. All areas require (metal) connectors from roof trusses to exterior wall and from exterior wall to the foundation. These metal connectors are relatively cheap and fortify the house to a large degree against wind damage.

Water intrusion and mold damage are locally addressed by correct waterproofing systems and use of mold resistant building materials. Wood frame construction at the lower levels is especially vulnerable to mold issues, hence exclusively wood framed homes are not the norm in Florida. Termites and other pests are generally more attracted to wood frame construction. Exterior wood doors are not as common a vinyl or aluminum doors. Masonry construction is a good choice for exterior framing, and is more common. Refer to my website for discussions on framing with ’SIP’ (structural insulated panels). ‘SIP’ is also mold resistant, termite resistant, and has a very high insulation factor and may be the ’up and coming’ building material of choice in the years to come.

The use of efficient and ‘locally appropriate’ climate controls systems are important for not only comfort, but for the ’war against mold’. To those ends, correctly designed mechanical systems keep moisture down and comfort up in our warm, moist climate. Higher ceilings are energy efficient in that cool air stays low. Fans are fairly common in Tampa architecture. Air movement makes a slightly higher thermostat setting very tolerable. Use of traditional skylights and ’solatube’ skylights can help reduce lighting costs and make the living spaces more pleasant. Passive solar techniques, when possible, can give a great ‘leg up’ on reducing home energy costs.