Sustainability Report
Embodied carbon
Embodied carbon reduction is addressed primarily through material restraint, durability, and passive construction logic, rather than quantified carbon accounting.
Key strategies include:
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Use of high thermal-mass materials (smoked brick, concrete) that provide long service life and thermal stability, reducing the need for replacement or upgrades.
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Limited material palette and honest construction, avoiding unnecessary finishes, suspended systems, or high-carbon composite assemblies.
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Preference for locally available materials and manufacturers, where possible, to reduce transport-related emissions.
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Selection of materials that age through patina rather than degradation, extending lifecycle performance and deferring future embodied carbon.
Operational Emissions / Energy
Operational energy reduction is a core architectural driver of the project and is achieved through passive environmental control rather than active systems. These strategies collectively lower operational energy demand in Singapore’s tropical climate:
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Courtyards, air wells, and light wells enable cross-ventilation and stack effect cooling.
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North–south orientation aligned with prevailing winds to support natural airflow.
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Solar control through recessed openings, overhangs, and landscape shading minimizes direct heat gain.
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Extensive daylight penetration significantly reduces daytime artificial lighting demand.
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Reduced reliance on mechanical air-conditioning through spatial sequencing and climatic zoning.
Service and maintenance emissions
Service and maintenance emissions are mitigated through material longevity and low-intervention detailing rather than technological systems. Approaches include:
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Robust finishes (brick, concrete, timber) that require minimal maintenance, coatings, or replacement cycles.
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Avoidance of complex façade systems, suspended ceilings, or high-maintenance mechanical integrations.
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Landscape and water features are designed for passive irrigation using collected rainwater, reducing operational servicing needs.
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Passive comfort strategies that reduce long-term dependence on energy-intensive mechanical equipment and associated servicing.
Afterlife
The design emphasizes future flexibility and spatial resilience, even though it is not an adaptive reuse project. It includes structural and spatial provisions that facilitate the future installation of a lift, thus supporting long-term accessibility upgrades.
The layout of the house is organized around clear structural spans and courtyards, which allows for internal reconfiguration without needing to alter the primary structure. Additionally, the shophouse-inspired typology has the potential for programmatic reinterpretation—such as live-work scenarios, galleries, or multi-generational use without requiring fundamental changes to the spatial design.
The project does not explicitly follow a design-for-disassembly framework. However, it incorporates several principles that support sustainability and longevity.
The material assemblies are designed to be layered and legible, avoiding complex composites that could complicate future disassembly. Additionally, the use of dry-installed or minimally finished elements facilitates selective replacement, eliminating the need for systemic demolition during renovations or updates.
Furthermore, the choice of durable primary materials aims to reduce short-cycle replacements, which indirectly aligns with circular economy principles by promoting extended use rather than frequent recycling.
Key products in low carbon design
