Watten Estate
The project involved developing a Singapore property with a single 1960’s bungalow into a group of 12 semi-detached houses. The challenge for the design of the project was to maximise use of the land, and create a product that would offer a fresh alternative to standard housing developments inSingapore, which are typified by tinted windows, grandiose imagery and encrusted ornamentation.
The architecture is expressed in a clear and controlled formal language, with an aim to create a light and airy living environment that allowed maximum enjoyment of the small plots. The project also aimed to allow energy-efficient performance through properly designing for the urban tropical environment and using low technology, practical domestic solutions. The design sought to allow the house to be easily opened up and naturally ventilated when required, but sealed up and efficiently air-conditioned when the weather gets too hot.
The project sets out to create clear forms, flowing space and clean lines. Transparency, openness and layering were pursued so that the feeling of space was pushed to the maximum. The spatial form of each house was developed around a central bay with two side aisles of space that interconnect in different ways and through varying filters and openings. A combination of fixed screens, adjustable louvres, frosted glass and blinds allow the inhabitants to adjust the environment to their comfort. Internal views through the use of voids, galleries and open stairs extend space vertically within the private domain to compensate for the lack of external space