A new-build, three storey detached house in Singapore, designed and built in partnership with Zarch Collaboratives.
The brief for this project was to design a tranquil family home to house three generations. As an organising strategy, a central courtyard was introduced around which different functional zones were arranged. Public-facing functions were located on the ground floor with more private spaces set on the floor above. A generous basement incorporates a large entertainment room, a wine cellar and home office.
The design sought to incorporate spatial and environmental qualities of a traditional ‘Black and White’ colonial-era bungalow, but with a modern and visually cleaner design language. Internally, a palette of off-whites and lighter woods (such white oiled European oak) were used, with tonally similar travertines and marble.
The scheme sought to bring nature and planting into the house as directly as possible. Within the central courtyard is set a small island, surrounded by a Perspex-bottomed moat. This is planted with low level foliage and a large Ficus tree, whose canopy reaches up to the floor above. On the upper level, there are a series of ‘semi-external’ rooms with planted balconies that provide verdant screening to the occupants.
The central courtyard is open to the elements, allowing light rainfall to enter the house. In the event of heavier downpour, a fabric canopy deploys to cover the opening.
Daylight is brought down into the basement in a number of ways. The glass-bottomed moat within the courtyard allows shafts of modulated, rippling light to penetrate down into the central corridor, and slim courtyards along the northern perimeter bring light down into the smaller rooms whilst provide a backdrop to display sculptures. A large Perspex viewing panel within the swimming pool brings light down into the rear of the entertainment room.
The house seeks to provide a pleasant a cool environment without over-relying on air conditioning. Large oversailing eves and decorative shading screens provide protection from direct sunlight, while the open central courtyard draws air up through the space. The pool is set on the west side of the site to pick up the prevailing breeze and cool the dining area via evaporative cooling.
Architects: Hatterwan Architects
Architects (Singapore): Zarch Collaboratives
Structural engineer: Cericorn Consultants
M&E engineer: Woo & Associates
Quantity Surveyor: Nathen & CL Cost Consultants
Lighting design: Fabulux Pte Ltd
Landscape design: Passionscape Pte Ltd
Main Contractor: Milliard pte ltd.