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The courtyard house by formwerkz architects Singapore expresses the relationship between the outer boundary and core. Similar to the traditional courtyard typology, the inner core is a private, secure and well-ventilated and the outdoor space is intended as an extension of the family space. The house is surrounded by dense tropical foliage, the courtyard is tranquil and contemplative. Through a series of  of bridges, wall perforations, pool, shower stalls, stairs and bay windows that penetrate the two side walls that bound the inner sanctum, the residents gets to experience the tropical garden on the outer whist still in the inner core. The main spaces are organized around the central, outdoor atrium where a lap pool runs parallel to one edge. The ground floor is finished entirely in hone travertine blurring  the boundaries between indoor and outdoor, unifying the entire ground floor as a singular, seamless, communal space. The perforated concrete wall allows for air-flow and glimpses of the garden beyond but shields the western sun and its adjacent neighbors. The courtyard house is located in a 3-storey mixed residential district, on the eastern part of Singapore. Built for a multi-generational family who seeks a communal way of living but wanted a space that was private, screened from the prying eyes of surrounding neighbors. This type of architecture could easily be at home in Australia or South America … maybe add a pool fence for Australia !

Story by Richard Misso. To see more by formwerkz architects  images courtesy of Formerkz