This project is the reconstruction of a 40 year old semi-detached house to accommodate a family of five.

Layout
In order to reduce the cost of the project, we were directed to retain as much of the existing structure as possible, including additions and alterations dating from 2006.  One of the volumes that was retained is a room extending into the Road Buffer at the 2nd Storey which we would otherwise have had to remove if this project had involved erecting a new house.  In all, 285 sqm of area was added to the house, including a new Attic floor.

In the final layouts, the public areas of the house are located at the 1st Storey.  At the 2nd Storey are the common bedrooms for the three children and a guest bedroom.  The Master Suite occupies the 3rd Storey while the new Attic floor accommodates a study for the children and a Meditation Room.  The rooms had to be laid out taking into account the locations of the structural columns and slabs of the original 1984 house as well as the 2006 additions.

The habitable parts of the house are arranged along the external facing walls while the Staircase and Lift occupy the core next to the party wall.  The most important parts of the house are located along the south and north facing facades to avoid direct insolation from the afternoon sun.  The remaining rooms that are west-facing either have small windows (at the 3rd Storey and Attic) or deep roof overhangs at the windows (1650 mm wide at the 1st Storey and 900 mm wide at the 2nd Storey).  The west-facing 1st Storey glass doors are also shaded by the landscaping in the Garden.  Even though the circulation core is located mostly away from the external walls, large windows at the Attic floor are able to bring daylight down through the voids to the 1st Storey.  The Lift shaft was constructed out of glass as were the stair risers to allow light through.

Massing
The external massing of the house is a composition of interlocking boxes incorporating the various volumes of the house, with openings towards the south and the north.

Nature
In addition to the landscaped Garden and Koi Pond surrounding the house at the 1st Storey, nature was also introduced at the upper floors in the form of open to sky planters located beside the bathrooms.  As the house is elevated from the street - it was possible to keep the heights of the boundary walls between the house and the street low, allowing views out over these walls.

Materials

The materials used are mostly natural - stone (Sesame Black granite, Tundra Grey Light marble, Tundra Grey Dark marble, Silver Mink marble) and timber (Burmese Teak, Walnut). 

CIVIL & STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

TNJ Consultants & Partners Pte Ltd

QUANTITY SURVEYOR

CCL Chartered Surveyors Pte Ltd

CONTRACTOR

Jia Hong Engineering Pte Ltd

SUB-CONTRACTORS

CC Interior Renovation & Design (Carpentry), Golden Hill Landscape Pte Ltd (Landscape)

SITE AREA

476 sqm

GROSS FLOOR AREA

721 sqm