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6 Singapore Architects Show How a Pro Designs Their Own Home
From HDB flat to terrace house to the dream of designing their own from the ground up, see these architects' homes
Chiquit Brammall
29 August 2019
Design journalist and freelance editor. Dollhouse architect. Serial renter.
1.
Pro: TK and Jonathan Quek of RT+Q Architects (together with colleagues Rene Tan and Jes Ang) and their families
Home: 7,500-square-foot bungalow on Stevens Road
Design concept: Contemporary tropical, featuring three blocks that surround a pool and central courtyard. The blocks are actually two homes connected by the centre: “The aim was to have two separate autonomous facilities for a mature couple and a family with young children. Although separate, special places for congregation link the family homes together,” says Jonathan.
Features:
Read more: Father and Son’s Multi-Generational Masterpiece
Pro: TK and Jonathan Quek of RT+Q Architects (together with colleagues Rene Tan and Jes Ang) and their families
Home: 7,500-square-foot bungalow on Stevens Road
Design concept: Contemporary tropical, featuring three blocks that surround a pool and central courtyard. The blocks are actually two homes connected by the centre: “The aim was to have two separate autonomous facilities for a mature couple and a family with young children. Although separate, special places for congregation link the family homes together,” says Jonathan.
Features:
- Passive cooling is provided by the external ‘green walls’ and the internal central courtyard and pool.
- Privacy for the two families (TK’s and Jonathan’s) who share the property is provided by having separate blocks linked by a central entrance.
- Mechanised panels allow for a changing display of art at the touch of a button.
- Sliding panels create flexible spaces, where kitchen, storage and other functions can be concealed or revealed.
Read more: Father and Son’s Multi-Generational Masterpiece
2.
Pro: Lee Liting and Chow Khoon Toong of Nitton Architects
Home: Five-room HDB flat in Sengkang
Design concept: A reconfigured layout of a 5-room flat, “to emulate the ambience of a landed house, unencumbered by the standardised framework of high-density high-rise housing”, says Lee.
Pro: Lee Liting and Chow Khoon Toong of Nitton Architects
Home: Five-room HDB flat in Sengkang
Design concept: A reconfigured layout of a 5-room flat, “to emulate the ambience of a landed house, unencumbered by the standardised framework of high-density high-rise housing”, says Lee.
Features:
Read more: Designing a 5-Room Flat to Feel Like a Landed House
- Open-plan layout is bright and refreshing with internal ‘garden’ made by potted plants and built-in planters.
- Sliding partitions allow for two bedrooms to be flexible, opening up to the open-plan living-dining-kitchen, or closing up to become “independent spatial units”.
- Custom-built furniture is multi-tasking, from a wardrobe that doubles as a room partition to a bed that slides into the indoor garden deck.
Read more: Designing a 5-Room Flat to Feel Like a Landed House
3.
Pro: Architect Terence Tang and interior designer Yap Mei Ying of StudioMyte
Home: Three-room HDB flat in Marine Parade
Design concept: The newlywed couple needed a multi-functioning home: “Spatial flexibility is something important to us, as our home needs to be many things at once: a cosy studio apartment for two; a workplace on weekdays; and a space for hosting family and friends on weekends,” says Tang.
Pro: Architect Terence Tang and interior designer Yap Mei Ying of StudioMyte
Home: Three-room HDB flat in Marine Parade
Design concept: The newlywed couple needed a multi-functioning home: “Spatial flexibility is something important to us, as our home needs to be many things at once: a cosy studio apartment for two; a workplace on weekdays; and a space for hosting family and friends on weekends,” says Tang.
Features:
Read more: Newlywed Designers Turn Old 3-Room Flat Into Home
- A flexible wall in the form of a folding glass door allows the couple to enjoy a larger living space when they don’t need to use the spare bedroom.
- The dining area doubles as a work space, so lighting is adjustable for the different purposes.
Read more: Newlywed Designers Turn Old 3-Room Flat Into Home
4.
Pro: Teo Yee Chin, principal architect of the award-winning Red Bean Architects (together with colleagues Liow Zhengping and Yeo Yih Hsiu) and his family
Home: 510-square-metre bungalow in East Coast Drive
Design concept: House-on-stilts concept is climate-responsive, done in a modern way for a multi-generational family: “We wanted to preserve the intimacy of a small family house,” says Teo.
Features:
Read more: A Climate-Responsive Modernist Brick Bungalow
Pro: Teo Yee Chin, principal architect of the award-winning Red Bean Architects (together with colleagues Liow Zhengping and Yeo Yih Hsiu) and his family
Home: 510-square-metre bungalow in East Coast Drive
Design concept: House-on-stilts concept is climate-responsive, done in a modern way for a multi-generational family: “We wanted to preserve the intimacy of a small family house,” says Teo.
Features:
- Passive cooling design on the ‘brick box’ sitting on ‘stilts’ allows natural ventilation in through open glass doors on the ground floor, and brick-sized openings on the upper portion.
- Concealed service area gives the impression of an open-plan layout on the ground floor, which has a flexible living space for children, parents and grandparents to congregate in
- Brick exterior was customised to depict the sunrise sky of Singapore’s East Coast.
Read more: A Climate-Responsive Modernist Brick Bungalow
5.
Pro: Gwen Tan and Berlin Lee of Formwerkz Architects and Studio iF, and their family (including two grandmothers)
Home: Four-level inter-terrace house in Siglap
Design concept: Contemporary, tropical and flexible: “a house for the whole family to have lots of together time, yet have plenty of personal space for each individual,” says Tan.
Features:
Read more: This Inter-Terrace Home is Designed to Evolve With Time
Pro: Gwen Tan and Berlin Lee of Formwerkz Architects and Studio iF, and their family (including two grandmothers)
Home: Four-level inter-terrace house in Siglap
Design concept: Contemporary, tropical and flexible: “a house for the whole family to have lots of together time, yet have plenty of personal space for each individual,” says Tan.
Features:
- Semi-transparent ‘walls’ that demarcate or secure spaces yet allow natural light and ventilation through. The front door, for example, is made of movable walls, creating an indoor-outdoor feel between the garden and the living area. The staircase is kept child-safe using long steel rods instead of railings.
- An indoor lap pool cools the house, and doubles as a conversation starter with its porthole-window looking into the living-dining area.
- Interior landscaping brings the outdoors in.
Read more: This Inter-Terrace Home is Designed to Evolve With Time
6.
Pro: Warren Liu and Darlene Smyth, the husband and wife founders of A D Lab, and their family
Home: Two-and-a-half-level inter-terrace house in Opera Estate
Design concept: Tiered open spaces that “create a sensation of surprising openness and limitless space within a lush green environment,” says Smyth.
Features:
Read more: An Ingenious Garden Home in Opera Estate
Tell us
What designer features do you see (or want to see) in your own home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, save the story, and join in the conversation.
Find a local architect on Houzz
Pro: Warren Liu and Darlene Smyth, the husband and wife founders of A D Lab, and their family
Home: Two-and-a-half-level inter-terrace house in Opera Estate
Design concept: Tiered open spaces that “create a sensation of surprising openness and limitless space within a lush green environment,” says Smyth.
Features:
- A triple-volume courtyard leads the three climbing gardens and courtyards of this house. This open centre also allows for easy and open communication between floors.
- A kitchen designed for entertaining, as Liu likes to cook for guests.
- A small swimming pool with a tropical resort feel provides the family a staycation escape any time they need it.
Read more: An Ingenious Garden Home in Opera Estate
Tell us
What designer features do you see (or want to see) in your own home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, save the story, and join in the conversation.
Find a local architect on Houzz
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