Inside A Home with Stunning Rock Climbing Wall | Indoor Courtyard | Split Level Home
One year ago, we featured a house transformation episode called the Urban Garden House. And a few years before that, The Tropical Concrete House—a project that gained over a million views and went viral. That’s why we’ve invited architect Oscar Tan of OTCQ Architects back to showcase another captivating transformation. Imagine a house with its own rock climbing wall in an indoor courtyard.
This isn’t your typical home. It has a full-size climbing wall right in the living room—and that’s just the beginning. Designed across multiple split levels, this house is full of surprises. What was once a cramped, closed-off space has now been completely transformed into a home shaped around the owner’s passions.
The home makes a bold first impression with its striking red façade. But this isn’t just an aesthetic choice. The color sets the tone for a space that dares to be different.
The client told Oscar that they wanted something special—not something that stands out just for the sake of it, but something meaningful. That’s why 80% of the original façade was retained, while only the front was clad in red perforated aluminum panels. These panels serve both function and form—filtering light while keeping out heat. In tropical climates, a double-skin wall like this is one of the best ways to bring light in without overheating the space.
With many split-level homes, the layout can feel fragmented and isolated. But this home invites quiet exploration, where each space reveals itself gradually.
“When I first came in this house, it is very classical and it feels like there’s a tropical element in this house. But there are certain things that I think it can be much improved, which is the entrance, experience, it’s pretty dark. And also layout is not really direct, so we’re actually entering to a small foyer,” Oscar explained.
“So the layout wise, we feel like if you have such a small house, it is not very friendly if you start to have a lot of compartments going around. So one way of doing that is basically opening up. That’s where the ground floor, which will open up a lot of the walls. So upon entry, we shift the entrance to the other side,” Oscar said.
Oscar told us about the client, “He came to us, he said hey Oscar, I would like to have a house that’s a very special house. A house that can house all my hobbies and everything I like.”
At the heart of the home, another set of stairs to the left leads you to its most unexpected feature—a full-scale climbing wall reaching towards the ceiling. Bathed in natural light, the space feels both playful and calming. A single tree, thoughtfully positioned beside the wall—brings a touch of nature indoors and softens the raw, vertical energy of the space.
“The biggest change I think is probably this four-storey volume of courtyard that we put in. When we finally chose this house, there is a bigger challenge that comes. This is such a small house, where am I supposed to place your wall climbing features? But he said Oscar, you have promised me, so we have to think about that. So I said okay then, I’ll open up a courtyard for you. That’s where we’re putting on the entire four volumes or four levels of a courtyard.”
This new extension not only expands the usable spaces of the home, but also rebalances the proportions of the existing split-level. This is a home reimagined from the inside out.
Tucked to the side is a compact home elevator. A thoughtful addition that reflects the homeowner’s long-term vision to ensure comfort and accessibility for older family members.
Deeper in the home, the space opens up to an open dining and kitchen area. Large openings frame a calm Japanese-inspired rock garden, grounding the home in simplicity.
“Original dining area is… it is actually tucked to the shared wall. It’s not really open out to the garden. And it’s basically artificial lightings all day long. So it feels like if we have opportunity to open up the entire surface, since this is a semi-detached house, you have the gardens. Why can’t we have a better experience to have our dining that’s facing the gardens. That’s why we shift it to the other side.”
Positioned at the heart of the space, the red railing catches the eye immediately. The bold color stands out against the white backdrop, creating a dynamic focal point that adds energy and personality. At the top, the vertical lines of the railing bloom in a playful yet sophisticated design element—a bright red flower. It adds a whimsical touch, softening the sharp lines of the staircase.
“The staircase core is actually original, is basically the central structure of the entire existing house. So the original layout, it is transformed in such a way that they put quite a square little staircase within the entire house layout, and it forms the main structures connecting all the split levels.”
“In considering how to design that, we are saying that perhaps it is one of the hardest things to remove from the house. If we can’t remove, let’s celebrate it. We want this staircase to be the heartbeat of the entire house because we know this staircase is very important for a split-level house.”
“If we are trying to do a railing, yes, it is functional, but can we do beyond just a railing? Can it be a sculpture that is coming out? That’s why these elements of metals that go all the way down, it served as a railings for your hand to hold and climb, and when it slowly growing out and it blooms like a flower, it symbolises the heartbeat of the house that eventually evolves to something else.”
Red landings echo the red of the facade, creating a strong visual that ties the entire home together. The master bedroom continues the home’s minimalist language—functional and intentionally calm. But the standout feature here? A series of striking red architectural panels that line the facade. These can be opened and adjusted, allowing natural light and ventilation to flow in.
“If you look at it now, you will see from the street view, it feels like it’s just a box. But if actually see from the inside out, it’s basically just a valve. It’s a valve that you can see through and see beyond. That gives the privacy, because it is a front, and front is facing all the neighbours and is a master bedroom.”
The master bathroom invites you in with a narrow hallway. A sleek sink and mirror setup creates a minimalist entry. A small set of stairs leads you to a more intimate area, sheltered by a perforated screen that creates privacy while maintaining an open, airy feel. Turning the corner, a private bathtub strategically placed opposite the shower and toilet, offers a tranquil retreat that’s separate yet connected to the rest of the bathroom.
The top floor is dedicated entirely to entertainment, with a relaxing sauna, a pool table and a casual lounge. But the main highlight here is the rooftop. Opening up to a spacious deck, it is a versatile space for any occasion, set against the KL city skyline.
“It is really about how to bring tropical elements into a modern context in the house that we have. We want to prove that modern architectures, in fact, we can still fit in tropical context that we have. So when we start designing this house, we think a lot about how to bring in natural light, how to bring in air flow, about how to cut the heat out and keep the rain out.”
The split-level layout is used not just for form, but to create dynamic, interconnected spaces that surprise and delight at every turn.
If you enjoyed exploring this home with us, check out this story on a unique home with a moving wall!
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