This House Takes the High Ground in Order to Have a Garden
... and a barbecue, and a pool, and a large entertaining space, and a bathroom
Sometimes a home’s constraints can incite creative design. ipli Architects‘s ingenious handling of a fall in elevation so impressed that the house won the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) Architectural Design Awards’s Building of the Year, and was described as “a very fine and unpretentious building with spartan materials used to achieve many ‘ends’”.
One singular material defines the lower part of the building in three ways says Tay: wonderfully textured concrete walls that wear the texture and imperfections of the formwork, pavers pre-cast onsite in three batches giving rise to natural variations in colouring, and the cement board ceiling left with an unfinished appearance.
The drop in elevation is 3.5 metres at the maximum and gives the tiered spaces total privacy even with the front gate open. It’s a lofty space made all the more airy thanks to its direct connection to the outdoors.
“We find that the joy and romance of living in the tropics is about being close to the environment and tropical vegetation in spaces such as verandas, patios, garden pavilions found in the old bungalows and estate houses in the past,” says Tay.
The drop in elevation is 3.5 metres at the maximum and gives the tiered spaces total privacy even with the front gate open. It’s a lofty space made all the more airy thanks to its direct connection to the outdoors.
“We find that the joy and romance of living in the tropics is about being close to the environment and tropical vegetation in spaces such as verandas, patios, garden pavilions found in the old bungalows and estate houses in the past,” says Tay.
Landscaping was integral to the architectural design early on as Tay saw its role in “bringing the scale down and as a visual shield”.
Tall trees on three sides provide privacy and act as a buffer from the heat, and massively long blinds can be deployed to keep rain out.
Tall trees on three sides provide privacy and act as a buffer from the heat, and massively long blinds can be deployed to keep rain out.
The upper and lower parts of the building are binary opposites. Although exposed and ‘honest’ concrete is the common denominator, the feel is different. The architectural team sought to contrast the openness of the lower part with “a very enclosed feel” in the upper. There are no windows in the foyer and stairwell, only small vents at the bottom and a circular skylight at the top.
“Concrete is interesting in many ways. Firstly, it picks up the texture of whatever formwork you use. If steel formwork is used, it is cold and sleek like steel; if it’s timber, in our case, it is tactile and warm. Secondly, there is an unpredictability in colour and texture. These variations make concrete look natural which goes well with the landscape,” says Tay.
“Concrete is interesting in many ways. Firstly, it picks up the texture of whatever formwork you use. If steel formwork is used, it is cold and sleek like steel; if it’s timber, in our case, it is tactile and warm. Secondly, there is an unpredictability in colour and texture. These variations make concrete look natural which goes well with the landscape,” says Tay.
Beauty abounds in the sculpted forms of concrete and showcases
concrete’s polarity as both monumental mass and sensuous purity.
concrete’s polarity as both monumental mass and sensuous purity.
A grand curved sliding door (made from veneer as the weight of timber would have been too great) reiterate the slender curves of the 10 pillars that provide structural support in the house.
The rawness of concrete is a good antipode to the richness of the timber and steel.
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What did you find most striking about this home? Share in the Comments below.
Who lives here: A couple in the advertising business
Type of building: detached house
Size: 490 square metres (5,274 square feet) of built-up on 410 square metres (4,413 square feet) land
Project duration: 2.5 years
Designers: ipli Architects
Building partners: Renobest Builders; JS Tan Consultants; Lac Engineers & Associates; Kosin Contractors
The views as one enters the main gate and descends the garden gets progressively eye-popping: garden space spanning the entire width of the land, riotous broad-leafed tropical plants and those 5.6-metre tall concrete pillars.
These striking pillars are what lift the house off the ground, making a garden space this long and this wide possible. Without this masterful stroke, the garden would be nothing more then a 2-metre strip of green, a far cry from the tropical living/entertaining the clients wanted.
“We decided to lift up the house to create an open landscaped ground plane that is sheltered by the volume above. The lush plants and trees surround and enclose this space creating an outdoor living and dining space, where the couple can work, cook, dine and entertain,” says Tay Yew, an associate at ipli.