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Architects: IX Architects
- Area: 323 m²
- Year: 2015
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Photographs:IX Architects Pte Ltd
Text description provided by the architects. Modern Approach, Timeless Values
Located at Bukit Timah within a quiet neighborhood, 22 Greenleaf Place presented IX Architects with the perfect opportunity to execute & realize the firm’s design philosophy and beliefs. Approached by the client to design and reconstruct their existing semi-detached house, IX Architects began the design process by keeping in mind the client’s brief to achieve a modern yet timeless building form.
Distinct Spaces, Strong Connections
Functionally, the spaces are classified into 3 main zones; living & entertainment, service areas, and the bedrooms. These zones are also reflected in the building form – a “transparent box” on the 1st storey suggesting common spaces, more enclosed spaces at the rear corner of the 1st storey indicating service areas and the celebrated “solid boxes” on the 2nd storey implying more private spaces.
Living spaces on the ground level are visually & physically connected to the external landscaping. Full height glass doors can be slide away to allow effective cross ventilation and for activities to spill out to the external foyer and landscaped spaces.
The 1st storey is kept at the existing elevated level which is higher than the surrounding roads. This has allowed the living & dining rooms at 1st storey to better capture the passing breezes providing natural cooling to the internal spaces.
The front and rear wings housing the 2nd storey bedrooms are distinctly identified as 2 separate boxes. The white (front) box in textured grooved finish and the grey (rear) box express the concrete walls in their raw form.
A central staircase links all the 3 main zones and allows visitors direct access from the ground floor to the rooftop terrace. The rooftop terrace, where family gatherings & barbeques can take place provides unblocked scenic views towards the city in which the owners were deprived of in the original house.
The existing staircase structure from 1st to 2nd storey was retained and given new life with the introduction of new finishes to the floor and wall. The staircase walls and handrails were detailed to incorporate back lighting and light fixtures illuminating the vertical circulation area at night. Naturally lighting filters in through the central skylight and air well such that practically all the common areas are naturally lilted during the day..
The master bedroom suite on the 2nd level is designed with a walk-in wardrobe and a spacious master bathroom. Natural lighting floods the bathroom space with the use of full height glass sliding windows with adjustable louvers screens for privacy.
While developing the design and even during the construction stage, the team constantly sought after opportunities to better fine-tune the detailing and even material selections. This has enabled the project to be a better version of its former-self. In exploring a different typology for the house, 22 Greenleaf has stand as a resonant symbol of the aspiration to achieve more than a house, but to make a house a home.
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