ArchShowcase Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Concrete Yin Yang in Singapore by HYLA ArchitectsApril 24th, 2023 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: HYLA Architects Every site has its good and bad aspects. And every architect tries to design the building to take advantage of the good things whilst at the same time shielding it from the bad. This house is no exception. On the front the house faces west and a hard streetscape. The side and rear is built up with neighbouring houses close and densely built-up. Fortunately the south boundary of the house faces an adjoining road and a large open field and this is the ‘good’ side. And the design of this house is perhaps the clearest expression of the dichotomy between the good and bad.
A concrete shell wraps around the structure of the house, following the trapezoidal shape of the house which narrows from front to back. All the 3 ‘bad’ sides are relatively solid, shielding the house from the western side and neighbours. On the ‘good’ side, the house is completely open, offering views to the open space. The house is also perforated at the top with a slanting concrete screen, offering shade to the glass façade and at the same time revealing greenery thrusting through the perforations. A counterpoint to this precise geometry of the concrete shell and screen, are a series of curvilinear terraces. They start as the roof of the carporch, and sinuously curve its way to the side. Other terraces at different levels take on the theme, to create a lush outdoor green space overhanding the pool and outdoor terraces. At the entrance, a bonsai tree sits amidst a water feature, surprising the visitor behind the concrete wall. Contact HYLA Architects
Tags: Singapore Categories: House, Interiors, Residential |