Perforated house
Most typical houses in Singapore are street-fronting and closely packed together with neighbouring houses, the brief for AR43 Architects was to design a house that would maintain a certain level of privacy for the owner, yet still be open to greenery, ventilation, and natural light. The new house was detached from its neighbouring semi-detached house, made possible given its generous plot size which allowed for more opportunities for ventilation and lighting.
Programmatically, the more private spaces were elevated off the ground level and the green spaces act as a buffer between the inside and outside, shielding the interior spaces from street noises and passersby. The interior spaces extend towards the surrounding greenery, bringing in good natural lighting as well as ventilation.
The open layout of the living space reflects the owner’s warm hospitality and lifestyle, ensuring that they have the flexibility and expanse of space to host guests frequently. A good flow of inside-out and outside-in spaces provide a seamless environment for guests to interact in larger groups, while pockets of quieter corners provide much-needed intimacy among the closest friends.
Like an origami, the rooftop open space was spliced from a typical roof form, extending the garden space from the family lounge to the attic level. This quiet hide-out beneath the roof is where the owner can enjoy an afternoon tea while enjoying the panoramic sunset views.
