Singapore home ‘an alien spaceship’
Feng-Shui design on a steep slope makes drivers pull over to stare,
It’s a traffic-stopper that stretches four storeys up a steep hill on Singapore’s upscale Swettenham Road.
The 11,000-square-foot estate — Fluidity on the Hill — is aaward-winning home with a modern design incorporating curves, lines and positioning that obey the principles of Feng Shui.
“We’ve seen cars stopping to admire the house,” said the architect, Aamer Taher, principal of Aamer Architects in Singapore.
“From the road below, it seems almost like an alien spaceship that landed on the hill.”
The multi-generational home has living spaces for the owners and their young children, their parents, top-floor quarters for an adult son plus room for guests.
Despite the busy flow of residents inside, the house maintains its calm composure by incorporating elements of its tropical environment. A waterfall was created using rocks and boulders from the excavation site, as well as the addition of fibre-concrete faux rocks. An infinity pool on the third floor seamlessly blends with the sky and, at night, provides a reflection of the stars above.
Fluidity on the Hill has two basement levels, the lowest with a car garage, waterfall courtyard space, entertainment area and guest room. The second basement above has more bedrooms and guest rooms. On the main level is the family living area, bedrooms and the pool. The third level has the master bedroom, family room and the top level has the son’s quarters.
As the house rises, its mass lessens to provide privacy and be less intrusive to the neighbours.
Building materials include offform concrete, steel, timber and stone. Deep overhangs provide shade and reduce the need for air conditioning. Timbertrellised openings — with planters in bathrooms instead of windows — provide cross-ventilation, as does the courtyard.
Fluidity on the Hill took 2- 1⁄ 2 years to design and build, and was completed in 2014.
We asked architect Taher a few questions about Fluidity on the Hill:
What was the inspiration for the home?
To create a contemporary, futuristic language to tropical architecture.
What were the construction challenges?
The steep, sloping site with setback requirements, and mature trees that needed to be saved, was challenging. The layout of the house needed to circumvent the trees and fit into the existing topography. The pool and main living areas were placed at the third level to take advantage of the distant views.
How have you integrated nature into the home?
A large internal landscape courtyard and waterfall was created to maximize ventilation and daylight but also provide a sense of delight and surprise upon entry.
You wanted the home to stand out but not dominate. How have you done that?
By breaking down the form of the very large house and stepping the building upwards and backwards to fit well into the steep site without overpowering it.
Why did you choose curved exterior walls for the design?
Partly because Chinese Feng Shui principals do not like sharp corners or angles, and partly to achieve a softer impact for the surroundings. On one side, the curve is part of an internal spiral staircase.
We also wanted a sculptural form with the folding of the floors into walls into roofs, as contiguous and continuous planes.
What’s the reaction?
The owners love the way we’ve divided the house into separate private areas for the extended family, yet keeping good visual connections via the central waterfall courtyard.
Going forward, how do you think the current pandemic will affect your architecture?
Social distancing will become the norm in space planning — more so for community buildings. For homes, do we need to provide special areas and spaces for larger gatherings, like kid’s birthday parties, isolation and quarantine rooms?
Perhaps more importantly, the pandemic makes a lot of people realize life is precious, time is limited and it’s worthwhile to enjoy life, whether you’re rich or not. Maybe a home should reflect that better.