Set on a 410 m² corner site, Zen Layers is a five-level semi-detached residence, including a basement, that reinterprets urban living through quiet restraint and layered spaces. Its minimalist façade is composed of tiered roof planes and garden terraces, veiled by vertical aluminum screens that both shield and filter light. The composition creates a subtle interplay of solid and void, opacity and transparency.
At the heart of the house, a soaring double-volume living and dining space is clad in warm oak, carrying a wabi-sabi sensibility that emphasizes natural textures and timeless simplicity. A two-storey courtyard anchors this core, drawing daylight and greenery deep into the interior while becoming the emotional focus of the home.
Circulation is conceived as a sequence of elevated journeys. Open walkways, reminiscent of a garden pavilion, link the private rooms upstairs—master suite, children’s bedrooms, study, and gym—while remaining visually connected to the courtyard and terraces below. These interwoven paths create a sense of openness and fluidity, blending movement with contemplation.
Zen Layers thus becomes more than a house: it is a layered sanctuary of light, landscape, and repose—an urban retreat that balances privacy with openness, structure with softness, and architecture with nature.

Name: Zen Layers
Type: 2-Storey Envelope Control Semi-detached Dwelling House with Basement, Mezzanine & Attic
Location: Namly Drive, Singapore
Site Area: 410.6 m2
Gross Floor Area: 765.2 m2
Status: Completed 2024
Architect: HYLA Architects
Principal Architect: Han Loke Kwang
Assistant Architects: Wesley Fong, Carol Huang
Main Contractor: : Sage Builders Pte Ltd
Structural Engineer: GCE Consulting Engineers
Landscape: This Humid House Pte Ltd
Interior: KCF&R Pte Ltd
Photographer: Derek Swalwell