A continuous balcony envelopes the second floor of a GCB in Holland by RT+Q Architects
Given the astronomical prices of Good Class Bungalows (GCB) in Singapore, it is typically the practice for their owners to live in them. Breaking from the norm was this client of RT+Q Architects, whose request was to design a house that could be rented out. In doing so, the residence had to aim for what it called “a universal appeal” for both its façade and layout. Working in the architects’ favour were elements such as the low-density neighbourhood located in the district of Holland, lots of greenery between the plots and an upward-sloping piece of land. That the 1,500sqm site had a long driveway was advantageous too, since the client wanted the house sited as far back from the road as possible. A final request: something that was “easy to build and compact”. In response, the team, made up of Rene Tan, TK Quek, Jonathan Quek and Jes Ang, conceived a distinctive, square-shaped, two-storey building with a continuous balcony around the entire perimeter of the upper floor. This is perched past the 25m-long pool and lengthy entryway. They went on…
Wallflower Architects wraps a GCB in Bukit Timah with an Accoya wood screen and lush landscaping
Almost entirely wrapped in landscaping, the latest residential project by Wallflower Architects is aptly named Touching Eden House. Creepers dangle down the Accoya wood screen and tropical trees are planted so abundantly that the Good Class Bungalow (GCB) seems to stand in their snug embrace. Peel back its layers though and an amazing story emerges…
Guz Architects crowns a bungalow in the Farrer Road neighbourhood with a well-landscaped pavilion
For better or worse, we live in a time when increasing urban density, diminished resources and climate change are challenging architects, including those practising in Southeast Asia. It leads them not just to rethink their approach to green design, but also to convince reluctant clients to join the cause – if, for no other reason,…
A bungalow designed by Local Architecture Research + Design in the Dunearn estate is topped with a “sun hat”
Houses with starkly outlined pitched roofs in Singapore are common enough. What is less heard of is them being likened to “a sun hat worn by farmers”. This is exactly how Local Architecture Research + Design described a bungalow it designed in the Dunearn estate. Less visible is the sizable kitchen, which takes up almost…
MAKK Architects defines a semi-detached house in Ang Mo Kio with a series of interlocking barrel vaults
A quick glance at MAKK Architects’ latest completed project might yield the impression that the designer recently went on a whirlwind tour of cathedrals across Europe, or that the owners are deeply religious. Its Principal, Lee May Anne, immediately bursts into peals of laughter at the suggestions. “No and no!” she exclaims mirthfully. “But it…
Maps Design Studio reinvigorates this bungalow in Holland two decades after it first conceptualised it
Some 23 years ago, a two-storey, L-shaped bungalow was built atop one of the high points of the hilly Holland neighbourhood. Lived in by a family of four, it was conceptualised by Maps Design Studio and bore the aesthetic of a tropical resort that the practice is known for. Fast forward two decades and the…
Bricks form the anchor feature of this semi-detached house by Genome Architects in Bukit Timah
Piers of bricks on the side façade, two sets of staircases and generous views of the sky. These are the major highlights of a semi-detached house in Bukit Timah that was recently completed by Genome Architects. Motley as they sound, each in fact goes towards mitigating the conundrum of a long and narrow site in…
Mercurio Design Lab interlocks two triangles to form a spacecraft-like bungalow in Mountbatten
“Something cool.” This was the starting point of a creative narrative that concludes with a bungalow in Mountbatten that has elements of the Lamborghini Gallardo supercar, a spacecraft and the Greek letter that symbolises the idea of a wavelength. Disparate as they sound, the reality is anything but, given how it was conceived by Italian…
A terrace house by Freight Architects in Serangoon Gardens is inspired by shophouses and the Japanese concept of “oku”
It certainly looks like someone parachuted a shophouse into a row of terrace houses in Serangoon Gardens. Even without hearing from the designer, Freight Architects, the architectural language of the residence clearly proclaims its inspiration. While the usual elaborate ornamentation found on them may be missing, the proportions, use of columns, simple pediment and spatial…
EHKA Studio showcases the concept of spatial porosity in this Primrose Avenue terrace house
When EHKA Studio was engaged to overhaul this three-storey, terrace house on Primrose Avenue in Upper East Coast, the brief given by the client sounded deceptively simple. “They wanted a space that was well-ventilated, bright and spacious,” shares Hsu Hsia Pin, the architect who led the team that took charge of the project. However, those…
Surbana Jurong Consultants designs HDB project SkyResidence @ Dawson with a distinctive double-S curve
At his National Day Rally Speech in 2007, Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong announced that Dawson, located within Queenstown, itself the oldest public housing estate in Singapore, was to undergo a dramatic makeover fit for the 21st century. He spoke of how “old estates also have great potential” and that with selective redevelopment, the…
ZIVY Architects contains the structural frame of a semi-detached house in Frankel Estate in two slices of concrete
It is a common conundrum in Singapore: owners of semi-detached or terraced houses find themselves with land where the depth is multiple times longer than the width. ZIVY Architects’ latest project, located in Frankel Estate, is an example. Deep and narrow, with a ratio of four to one, the plot ran the risk of accommodating…
Designshop stacks a collection of blocks to create a corner terrace in Watten Estate
When it comes to architecture, the first thing that often springs to mind is aesthetics. Yet, few creatives stop to think about the relationship that the building has with the land it sits on, and how that can drive its design. For this three-storey corner terrace by Designshop, which occupies a triangular plot in Watten…
JOW Architects overcomes multiple site constraints to renovate this semi-detached house in River Valley
It is easy to miss HKR House. To reach it, you must first pass the rather distracting Edward Lee Apartments – not for its architecture but because of the supercars often haphazardly parked outside. By the time you finish shaking your head over the blasé attitude of the owners towards their million-dollar vehicles, you would…
Guz Architects designed a Good Class Bungalow in Holland that has successfully stood the test of time
Good design never dates. Ask any architect and they’ll tell you that while the aphorism is easy enough to understand, it is devilishly difficult to achieve. Yet, to look at Rikki Tikki House, a Good Class Bungalow by Guz Architects, is to behold a design that somehow manages to look fresh, contemporary and, most crucially,…
Could HDB’s Woodleigh Glen in Bidadari represent the future of Singapore’s public housing?
Eight roof gardens, a façade design accented by bright orange fins and a sloping roofline. These are just some features of the newest residential precinct by the Housing and Development Board (HDB), Woodleigh Glen, set within the Bidadari housing estate. Pass by and it could easily be mistaken for a private condominium development when it…
ipli Architects reflects on its design of Martin Modern in Robertson Quay
There is a small smile on Yip Yuen Hong’s face and occasional nods of approval as he walks the grounds of Martin Modern. Although it has been two years since the condominium developed by GuocoLand has been completed, it still looks fresh – in fact, given how the landscaping has had time to mature, the…
Czarl Architects designs a corner terrace on a triangular-shaped site to accommodate a four-generation family
Looking at the four-level corner terrace that now stands on Lorong Pisang Hijau in Upper Bukit Timah, you would never imagine that this used to be the site of a one-storey home. Designed by Czarl Architects, a 586sqm residence occupies the 375sqm triangular plot where the owner and his family have been living since the…
The linear forms of Carve House’s architecture by Ming Architects are stacked above an expansive basement
Pass this stratum-like semi-detached residence by Ming Architects along the street and it is not obvious there is more to it than meets the eye. In fact, its name, Carve House, is equally cryptic. But enter the grounds and all is immediately revealed. To mitigate what the owner felt was the challenge of a small…
A pair of A-line volumes define the façade and massing of this semi-detached home in Upper Thomson
Lee May Anne likes to say that her one-woman studio MAKK Architects has no signature form or style. Yet, even the most casual glance through her portfolio quickly reveals that her demur is an artful dodge that deflects the intellectual rigour and thoughtfulness, alongside a dash of playfulness, that have infused her work to date. …