Houzz Tour: A Climate-Responsive Home for an Architect’s Family
This airy, open and flexible house in Singapore maximizes together time for 3 generations
It can’t get more personal than when an architect designs his family home. For Teo Yee Chin, principal architect of Singapore’s Red Bean Architects, the project his firm calls Brick House was exactly that. Asked to what degree the owners were involved with the design, he says: “They were very much involved because the architect is the occupant!”
Teo’s personal touch can be seen in the facade, which is a dramatically detailed work of architectural art: a brick illustration of sunrise on Singapore’s East Coast. “There were four colors of bricks we used, ranging from dark brown to light cream. The pattern was pixelated from an image of the sky at sunrise, [taken] from the East Coast. It was not difficult to communicate the pattern to the contractor because every brick was drawn on the elevation and a very large drawing given to the bricklayer to follow,” the architect says.
The brick image is laid on a boxlike mass seemingly propped up by slim columns — a house on stilts, if you will. Traditionally a climate-responsive design, a house on stilts allows for air to circulate around the open ground floor, cooling the upper floors. The brick box also keeps cool through the large picture windows and the strategic absence of bricks in some places.
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A double-volume living room space on the ground floor physically and visually connects the other common areas, such as the adjoining dining area on the ground floor and the family room on the second floor. Teo says that it’s also designed to be flexible for a variety of activities. Since the house holds three generations, including three young children, he wanted maximum space for interaction.
“The living room space is the grand volume that welcomes and accommodates people coming together. This space opens up on three sides with large sliding glass doors to let in the scenery of lush bamboo and Caesalpinia trees,” Teo says.
“The living room space is the grand volume that welcomes and accommodates people coming together. This space opens up on three sides with large sliding glass doors to let in the scenery of lush bamboo and Caesalpinia trees,” Teo says.
The pale concrete block (most evident in the dining area) delineates a smaller volume within the first, and contains the laundry and the “wet kitchen” — which, in this part of the world, is used for messy cooking that involves a lot of cleanup. (See the floor plan showing the two kitchens at the end of this story.)
A long study hall on the second floor connects the bedrooms and the family room. There is also an entertainment and karaoke room in the basement (not pictured).
“We wanted to preserve the intimacy of a small family house,” Teo says, despite the fact that the home has 3½ floors. Spaces like the study were designed to be open to all family members.
“We wanted to preserve the intimacy of a small family house,” Teo says, despite the fact that the home has 3½ floors. Spaces like the study were designed to be open to all family members.
Gaps in the brick allow sunlight and natural ventilation into even the most private of spaces, such as the bathroom. Singapore’s tropical climate and insect-management program mean that no insulation is necessary and openings can be left uncovered.
A sunlight-filled stairway leads to the roof deck (shown in the next photo), another space for the multigenerational family to enjoy together.
In this plan of the ground floor, the area at the bottom right is the “dry kitchen,” which is used for small tasks like making sandwiches and preparing fruit. The “wet kitchen” is at the top left.
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More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Architect Teo Yee Chin and his multigenerational family of six
Location: Singapore
Size: 5,490 square feet (510 square meters)
Design team: Teo Yee Chin, Liow Zhengping and Yeo Yih Hsiu of Red Bean Architects