Ar43 Architects Pte Ltd

Perforated House

Perforated House
© Studio Periphery

PERFORATED HOUSE

AR43 Architects

ARCHITECTS
AR43 Architects

AREA
6500 ft²

YEAR
2021

PHOTOGRAPHS
Studio Periphery

MANUFACTURERS
Geberit, Hansgrohe, Duravit, Kawajun, Toto, DB Acoustic, Egner Building Technologies, Koizumi Lighting Singapore, Lital Materials & Contracts Engineers, Marquis HQO, Polystone, Rice Fields, Schindler AS

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
MSE Consultant Pte Ltd

CATEGORY
Houses

MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
HPX Consulting Engineers Pte Ltd

QUANTITY SURVEYOR
WS Surveyorship Pte Ltd, Sam Wong, Dawn Woo

BUILDER
M/s U.Sage Contracts Pte Ltd

LOCATION
Singapore

LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR
Nyee Phoe Flower Gardens Prte Ltd, Andy Eng

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
Andrew Teo, John Lim

MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL ENGINEER
Kenny Fung

LANDSCAPE DESIGNER
Ong Geok Lan

BUILDERS
Patrick Ong, Liow Ching Weng

Text description provided by architect.

The Perforated House is nestled in the Northern side of Singapore and epitomizes a private refuge in the midst of a bustling city.

Perforated House
© Studio Periphery
Perforated House
© Studio Periphery

As most typical small landed houses in Singapore are street-fronting and closely packed together with neighboring houses, the brief was to design a house that would maintain a certain level of privacy for the owner, yet still be open to greenery, ventilation, and natural light.

The new house was detached from its neighboring semi-detached house – made possible given its generous plot size – to allow more opportunities for ventilation and lighting.

Perforated House
© Studio Periphery
Perforated House
© Studio Periphery

The house was conceptualized as an elevated box made of solid off-form concrete, with abundant pockets of green spaces woven into the interior spaces.

The language of perforations was also used consistently throughout the house as an architectural tool to control the level of privacy, light, and ventilation.

Perforated House
© Studio Periphery
Perforated House
© Studio Periphery

Programmatically, the more private spaces were elevated off the ground level and the green spaces act as a buffer between the inside and outside, shielding the interior spaces from street noises and passersby.

The interior spaces extend towards the surrounding greenery, blurring the boundaries between the inside and out, bringing in good natural lighting as well as ventilation.

Perforated House
© Studio Periphery
Perforated House
© Studio Periphery

In spaces where more privacy is required, vertically angled sunshades were purposefully designed to allow morning light to filter in, yet limiting views from the neighboring houses.

The open layout of the living space reflects the owner’s warm hospitality and lifestyle, ensuring that they have the flexibility and expanse of space to host guests frequently.

A good flow of inside-out and outside-in spaces provide a seamless environment for guests to interact in larger groups, while pockets of quieter corners provide much-needed intimacy among the closest friends.

Perforated House
© Studio Periphery
Perforated House
© Studio Periphery
Perforated House
© Studio Periphery

In his personal time, the owner – a retired engineer – spends most of his time playing a variety of musical instruments, boasting a few iconic pieces for his personal collection.

To fulfill the client’s affinity for music and desire for a proper display area for his instruments, an acoustically designed music studio was built with the intention to allow for performances and jamming sessions without disturbing the neighbors.

Perforated House
© Studio Periphery
Perforated House
© Studio Periphery

Like an origami, the rooftop open space was spliced from a typical roof form, extending the garden space from the family lounge to the attic level. This quiet hide-out beneath the roof is where the owner can enjoy an afternoon tea while enjoying the panoramic sunset view of the entire estate.


Perforated House
Section X
Perforated House
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Perforated House
Plan - Ground Floor
Perforated House
Plan 1st Floor
Perforated House
Plan 2nd Floor


Perforated House
Elevation 01
Perforated House
Plan 3rd Floor
Perforated House
Plan Roof
Perforated House
Elevation 02

Ar43 Architects Pte Ltd
T +65 6333 4248
Ar43 Architects Pte Ltd
15 Purvis St, 188594, Singapore