Mawi Garage by Dhaniē & Sal is an “homage” to utilitarian automobiles

Indonesian architecture practice Dhaniē & Sal has completed Mawi Garage in South Tangerang, creating a steel structure that references the engineering of the cars and motorcycles inside.

The client, a car collector, tasked the local practice with renovating an existing 488-square-metre shed that housed his extensive fleet, as well as extending it to add a small office space and apartment.

Exterior view of Mawi Garage in Indonesia — The studio renovated an existing 488-square-metre shed

Located on a large, one-acre estate surrounded by gardens, Dhaniē & Sal stripped back the existing building and used it as the basis for a new, “utilitarian” gabled structure of black steel columns and trusses with a corrugated metal roof.

For the exterior of Mawi Garage, the studio created walls of angled metal vents, informed by the hinged, openable windows on older cars like the Land Rover housed inside.

Facade and external area at renovated shed by Dhaniē & Sal — The steel structure draws on the engineering of cars and motorcycles

“We would often look for the client’s automobile collections for the direction of the design,” the studio told Dezeen.

“As rigid and cold as the exterior [of the cars] is, the interiors are still designed ergonomically, based on how they will be in contact with the human body.”

“[The garage is] an homage to the object it shelters, a well-known utilitarian off-road automobile,” it added.

Interior view of shed by Dhaniē & Sal — The shed houses the client’s car collection

In the large garage space, the black steel structure has been left entirely exposed, wrapped by high-level glazing that frames views of the trees outside.

The office and apartment occupies a separate volume at the southern end of the garage. The studio elevated it above the cars below with panoramic windows on either side that look onto the garage and the surrounding gardens.

At the southern end, this volume protrudes slightly to create a balcony for the lounge space, and to the west, a narrower section contains a small sleeping area and bathroom.

To bring a more comfortable feel to these spaces, the exposed steel of the garage was swapped for grey plaster, leather and wood finishes, and the steel-framed structure was swapped for brickwork.

Living interior within Mawi Garage in Indonesia — The space was extended to include a small office and apartment

“We create a detached volume where we use bricks as its walls instead of steels,” the studio told Dezeen.

“The detachment has two purposes, to let the air cross, and also to break the rhythm of the living quarters from the visual rigidity of the modular steel panels.”

“The bricks informed a warmer gesture for the user to touch and to lean on to, [and] we also covered the roof structure with ceilings instead of exposing it,” it explained.