Guz Wilkinson

Rain Tree House

Rain Tree House
© Patrick Bingham-Hall

Rain Tree House

Guz Architects

ARCHITECTS
Guz Architects

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Wilkinson Annesley Charles, Lee Rong Rong, Kelly Woo

MAIN CONTRACTORS
Straits Dredging

M&E CONSULTANTS
CCA Partners

MANUFACTURERS
BI&L Collections, Cooling Point, Otis, The Madison Group

LANDSCAPE CONTRACTORS
Nyee Phoe Flower Garden Pte Ltd

QUANTITY SURVEYORS
Barton Bruce Shaw Pte Ltd

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
MSE Consultants

PHOTOGRAPHS
Bingham-Hall

AREA
1871 m²

YEAR
2023

LOCATION
Singapore

CATEGORY
Houses

The rain tree house was conceived as a multigenerational family house arranged around a large garden and a beautiful old rain tree which was protected and preserved.

Rain Tree House
© Patrick Bingham-Hall
Rain Tree House
© Patrick Bingham-Hall

The house was designed with passive cooling measures integrated into the design, with large overhanging roofs to protect from sun and rain in Singapore’s hot, humid climate.

Ponds and pools were also integrated into the design, as were roof gardens, all to help passively cool the house.

Rain Tree House
© Patrick Bingham-Hall
Rain Tree House
© Patrick Bingham-Hall

All spaces closely relate to the green spaces around the house, creating a seamless transition between inside and outside.

The house was also designed to ‘breathe,’ with all areas designed for cross ventilation and the main circulation areas left unglazed so that the gentle breezes in Singapore can drift through the house and prevent the build-up of heat.

Rain Tree House
© Patrick Bingham-Hall
Rain Tree House
© Patrick Bingham-Hall

The very large roof overhangs make this practical, keeping the driving rain out, as well as the early morning and late afternoon sun.

With such a large house, the different accommodations for each generation of the family were stratified to give privacy while at the same time making it convenient for the family to get together in the common areas when desired.

Rain Tree House
© Patrick Bingham-Hall
Rain Tree House
© Patrick Bingham-Hall

Also, it was important we maintained a ‘homely' feel and human scale to this large house. This was achieved using warm, earthy materials and human scale proportions to the overall design.

Lastly, to cap it all off, the huge roof is covered with a large photovoltaic array (solar panels), which largely powers the house during the day.

Rain Tree House
© Patrick Bingham-Hall
Rain Tree House
© Patrick Bingham-Hall
Rain Tree House
© Patrick Bingham-Hall


Rain Tree House
Section AA

Guz Wilkinson
T +65 6476 6110
Guz Wilkinson
3 Jln Kelabu Asap, 278199, Singapore