Bounded by structured roofs, raw brick walls and wooden egg-crate louvres that offer natural light and indoor-outdoor living, the homes designed by local firm MJ Kanny Architect appear to be a synthesis of two elements — tropical and contemporary. “The one thing that binds these together is that our design has always been from a tropical perspective. As most of our work in Malaysia focuses on creating buildings that take advantage of their tropical surroundings, it quite often leads to a built form in which the building engages with the external environment,” says the firm’s principal Melvyn Kanny in an email interview.