with narrow glazing ‘slots’ facing Ocean Drive, whereas the private façade is open and transparent, giving a panoramic vista of the shipping lanes and anchorage. Fronting the house is a flat-roofed carport entered from a short drive. The duality is also evident in the layout, where the first storey is conceptualized as a single open space. The living room, dining area and kitchen coalesce and look into the courtyard and beyond to the ocean. In sharp contrast, the second storey, containing four bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom, is a compartmentalized, box-like container with incised windows that cantilevers over the lower structure. There is also a subterranean basement with a groundlevel lightwell illuminating the guest bedroom and gym. Duality is further evident in the cladding system. A veil of vertical timber louvres wraps around the second storey and monopitched roof. By day, the louvres appear as a dark, almost impenetrable shroud, but at night, with the rooms illuminated within, the effect is akin to a magical lantern. The selection of materials and meticulous attention to orchestrating movement through space, coupled with the introduction of daylight, highlights the modern sensibility brought to this reinterpretation of a seafront residence in the tropics.
106 SINGAPORE HOUSES
13pp.102–109 House 229.indd 106
2/24/09 4:49:20 PM