by
Photo: Derek Swalwell
Typically, the ground floor of a landed house in Singapore is heavily landscaped. As you climb higher, however, it feels like you’re living in an apartment. “You’re divorced from the land,” says Han Loke Kwang, founder and Principal Architect of HYLA Architects.
The latest residence he has designed is the antithesis of this idea. It is a two-storey bungalow with a basement that accommodates a family of four, with generous rooftop gardens surrounding the entire front perimeter of the second floor. In fact, the flora and fauna are so verdant that it is difficult to discern the house’s architecture from the road.
“I have brought the ‘land’ up to the upper level as well,” says Han. “It’s a play on the term ‘landed housing’.”
A modern bungalow designed to commune with nature
Credit: A sense of drama pervades the living room where a double-height ceiling affords a mezzanine. (Photo: Derek Swalwell)
The neighbourhood’s mature tropical evergreens offer a soothing sight and provide the perfect backdrop for this modern bungalow which has been designed to commune with nature.
Credit: The ground floor’s overhanging roof becomes a garden for the bedrooms above. (Photo: Derek Swalwell)
Sizable overhangs and an open-plan, L-shaped design are two features of the architecture that make this possible. “Our quest was to find innovative ways to provide a connection to nature for our clients. So we’ve created spaces that are private, sheltered and well-ventilated,” shares Han.
As it was not a priority to maximise the buildable area of the 1,062-sq m, rectangular-shaped plot, only about half the land was used for the house, with the remainder set aside for the garden and a mosaic-tiled lap pool.
Credit: A garden and mosaic-tiled lap pool add to the home’s nature-first appeal. (Photo: Derek Swalwell)
The living spaces look towards this and since the overhangs measure more than 4-m deep, doors can even be kept open during a storm. “The enormous overhangs over the terrace provide shelter and enable the entire ground floor to remain connected to the beautiful greenery,” Han explains.
Credit: The bungalow is dramatic yet serene thanks to wrap-around gardens even upstairs. (Photo: Derek Swalwell)
In being consistent with the desire to cosy up with nature, the choice of materials on the façade were pared down too. Han used off-form concrete and aluminium panels that weather well rather than plastered, painted walls; strips of teak cover the underside of the overhangs and continue inside as the ground floor ceiling.
“Everything is very natural and warm to bring it all together,” Han adds.
Framing views of the garden perfectly
Credit: An open-tread staircase and Sofitel Gold marble wall are scene stealers in the main living area. (Photo: Derek Swalwell)
On the inside, a sense of drama pervades.
The ground floor is a double-volume space with a ceiling height of 5m, which frames views of the garden perfectly. “If not for the double-height ceiling, you’d only see the bottom of the trees. You’d barely be able to see the sky too,” says Han. The high ceiling also affords each wing a mezzanine.
Credit: Even the bathrooms bear a natural colour palette. (Photo: Derek Swalwell)
The one closest to the road is occupied by the living room, and on the half storey, a corridor lined with bookshelves. The latter is flanked by a study that looks out to the front gate. At the other end is a guest room with wraparound views of a small forested area.
The second mezzanine is in the perpendicular wing and is accessible by passing through the dry kitchen and dining room, entertainment room and gym. A spiral staircase at the corner leads up to the loft-like dance studio.
Credit: Even the bathrooms bear a natural colour palette. (Photo: Derek Swalwell)
While artworks hang on the living room wall, it is the U-shaped, open-tread staircase that steals the attention. It is set before a floor-to-ceiling feature wall made of Sofitel Gold marble from Turkey with terracotta-hued veins.
On the second floor, there are two bedrooms, a family room, and a second study. A corridor to the other wing leads to the master bedroom. A walk-in wardrobe runs the length of the room, and the sleek bathroom has a stand- alone tub.
Credit: The second floor gardens spill over with landscaping and are filled with outdoor furniture to lounge on. (Photo: Derek Swalwell)
Laid out before the bedrooms are rooftop gardens. Spilling over with landscaping and filled with outdoor furniture to lounge on, they take up nearly a third of the floor area. “The ground floor’s overhanging roof becomes a garden for the bedrooms above. It feels almost like you’re living in a little one-storey house,” Han says.
“We chose to make the architecture simple by emphasising the overhang, the gardens on top, and the L-shape enclosing it. The end build speaks for itself; we didn’t need to add anything else. All the richness is in the interiors.”
RELATED: Dusit Central Park: First-Class Urban Parkside Living in Bangkok
