Speculating On An Alternative
As opposed to the typical maximisation of floor area that comes with designing a house for a developer, Studio Wills’ Project #3 creatively addresses tough building guidelines and the need for light and aspect in a dense estate.
For the most creative architects, constraints are not hurdles
– they are springboards for new ideas, and opportunities for experimentation and inventive problem solving. The results can be pleasantly surprising, as in the case of Project #3 by Studio
Wills + Architects.
The bungalow is set within the Victoria Park Villas estate developed by CapitaLand. It adjoins 106 semi-detached houses and two other bungalows in a master plan by W Architects.
The uniqueness of Project #3 (the nomenclature referring to Studio Wills’ own project naming system) lies in its fragmented form. Eschewing the typical bungalow typology of a singular builtup block, four prismatic towers reach skyward animatedly, their slight irregularities and sand tones resembling “little rock scapes in a garden,” as described by William Ng and Kho Keguang of Studio Wills + Architects.
Project #3’s distinct parti resulted from the need to address several issues. Firstly, the elongated site is much longer than the adjacent plots in the development, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) was wary of the possibility of an oppressive walllike development confronting neighbours. Splitting up the volumes with courtyards between each block mitigated the scale while providing visual porosity through and within the site. This gesture won the URA’s approval.
To ensure maximum sunlight enters the side gardens and courtyards of the narrow site, there are minimal overhangs. Tophung windows and automated louvres do the job of addressing rain and glare. The roofs are sloped as a response to attic guidelines, faceting strategically to reflect light into the courtyards that extend into the basement to introduce natural light and ventilation into a normally dark space.
The oblique roofscape ensures the bungalow is well assimilated into the vicinity of pitched roofs. Its brown palette, however, distinguishes it from the development’s dominant grey shades. Continuing the colour onto the vertical surfaces emphsises the architecture’s pure form while inside, the material selections of beige Lubana marble and engineered oak flooring complement the exterior. This disciplined approach is applied throughout so that the form of each tower is clearly legible. For instance, a bridge linking all the blocks is painted black, as is the aluminium rainwater channel cum lightning conductor that traces the roof edges neatly.
The internal programming also benefits from Studio Wills’ meticulous planning. Rather than a straightforward arrangement of six bedrooms as the brief requested, Studio Wills hypothesised how these rooms could be organised to better benefit the potential occupants. Inspired by Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto’s method of “allowing occupants the freedom of living collectively yet independently,” as Ng describes, Studio Wills crafted a home suited to multigenerational living, equipped with a comfortable equation of communality and privacy.
Thus, the guestroom sits nearest the entrance, while the living and dining are situated in the furthest block facing the pool. The main ‘household’ comprising master bedroom and two bedrooms is on the second storey while a secondary ‘household’ with a junior master bedroom and another bedroom for a grandchild or grandparents is in the basement. Each bedroom has its own bathroom and each household has its own adjacent family room. The circulation is such that occupants have the choice of going into their rooms without passing through the main common spaces. “It starts to sync with our whole idea of fragmentation because the rooms are all quite autonomous. The programme and form work in tandem,” says Ng.
Solid and void, indoors and outdoors, string together in rhythmic sequence, underpinned by a system of logic and functionality. These ideas of fragmenting the plan and sequential movement through space have started to form a discernible trajectory in Studio Wills’ portfolio. The strategy of fragmentation effectively resolves multiple concerns – of lighting, spatial demarcation and formal definition – in one fell swoop while that of sequential movement through space abolishes monotony in its highlighting of thresholds. Yet, Studio Wills’ architecture is never repetitive, giving proof to Ng’s skills and his quest for authenticity.
“CapitaLand was game enough to accept this fragmented design… In Singapore’s speculative housing market, many people tend to fall back on something more conventional. It’s very different from an owner-designed house where there’s usually a preconceived idea of how a bungalow should look.” William Ng.