The Terrace House - Singapore, Republic of Singapore, 2013

Architects: Formwerkz Architects
Design Team: Alan Tay, Iskanda Idris, and Cai Xun
Client: Ng Soonam
Structure Engineers: Portwood & Associates
Landscape Architects: Kosin Contractor
Contractor: Emma Contracts Pte Ltd.
Photographer: Albert Lim

The semi-detached house in Singapore is re-built for a multi-generation family who has stayed in the same street the past forty years. When the family has decided to rebuild their house to meet the changing needs of the extended household, they wanted their house to be introverted to safeguard their privacy in reaction to the towering neighbor next door where most of the rooms overlook their compound. The client wanted a design that can accommodate the need for growth in the future. 

From the street, the structure resembles a concrete ruin overran with wild landscape, concealing a voluminous space within. Internally, the house is organized around a central landscaped atrium where the communal spaces at all floors are spatially connected to encourage greater interaction between the extended family. A series of terracing planter boxes support the tropical foliage along the party wall, filtering daylight into this central atrium space. The terracing rooftop culminates the journey as a place of respite amidst the changing suburban landscape. We imagined the terrace to be conducive to sit and have a conversation while looking out in the same direction, sharing the same moment, like one do in a park.