A small family of 3 had specific ‘feng shui’ requirements for the house, with 2 bedrooms on the 1st storey and the rest of the rooms housed in a tower. The detached house sits on a squarish site with area of 833 m2. With 2 of the 3 bedrooms located on the 1st storey, the challenge was how to separate the living areas from the private rooms. The solution was to invert the relationship, with the public spaces facing internal courtyards and the bedrooms facing the front garden. The house is cladded in face brick, with clay roof tiles and aluminium screens. Off form concrete is used in the living room walls, with precast concrete slabs for the courtyard floor. The overall palette is monochromatic and echoes Asian traditional architecture. The double volume living area faces two courtyards. The first courtyard is an entrance area with shelter for carparking as well as direct access to the service zone. The second more private court is enclosed by a single storey structure housing the bedrooms. The feeling is like that of a cloister – it is private and meditative.

Name: Cloister House
Type: 2 storey sdetached house with attic
Location: Vanda Crescent, Singapore
Site Area: 446 m2
Gross Floor Area: 519 m2
Status: Completed 2023
Architect: HYLA Architects
Principal Architect: Han Loke Kwang
Assistant Architects: Nicholas Gomes, Kimberly Ooi, Thomas Ong, Juperi
Main Contractor: : Emma Groups Construction Pte Ltd
Structural Engineer: GCE Consulting Engineers
Landscape: Nyee Phoe Flower Garden Pte Ltd
Interior: Graceful Décor Pte Ltd
Photographer: Derek Swalwell