An Unusual Roof Ensures Privacy While Letting in Light
Archifest 2019 Festival Director Alan Tay took us on a tour of the aptly-named Aperture House
This semi-detached house cuts a striking profile in a neighbourhood typified by red terracotta-tiled roofs. Teakwood slats atop a pitched metal roof and uncomplicated concrete walls give it a high-end resort vibe that doesn’t disappoint when you get inside. Named the Aperture House, this project by Formwerkz Architects was awarded an Honourable Mention in the 2019 Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) Architectural Design Awards.
“The roof was influenced by the old Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) regulations prior to envelop control, where one point of the attic roof must be pitched no more than 45 degrees. The steep pitch creates a dramatic roof and ceiling feature from the interior which is expressed in teak and steel,” says the architect.
Most semi-detached houses are oriented with the long shared wall running from front to back of the property line. This site presented an unusual orientation where the houses are back to back. This gives the front of the house a wide facade (27.5 metres) and the appearance of a bungalow.
Most semi-detached houses are oriented with the long shared wall running from front to back of the property line. This site presented an unusual orientation where the houses are back to back. This gives the front of the house a wide facade (27.5 metres) and the appearance of a bungalow.
“Apart from windows, there are 10 skylights on the roof terrace and one big aperture in the pitch roof and another one in the courtyard.
These apertures are sized in different variations to allow for different amount of natural daylight to filter through the house. The apertures in the roof terrace are concentrated over the pool,” Tay says.
These apertures are sized in different variations to allow for different amount of natural daylight to filter through the house. The apertures in the roof terrace are concentrated over the pool,” Tay says.
The roof’s striking form and shade provide for much outdoor space while still fulfilling the need for privacy.
Photo by Reef Singh
The client requested for perfectly formed concrete walls, for both the interior and exterior, without tie-rod holes. The contractor had to engineer a new method to achieve this.
The client requested for perfectly formed concrete walls, for both the interior and exterior, without tie-rod holes. The contractor had to engineer a new method to achieve this.
“We conceived and articulated the curved stairs to be a sculptural object in the staircase void to create visual interest,” says Tay.
The cool, shadowy realm of the stairwell (almost black walls, ceiling and balustrade) distinguishes this transitional space from the rest of the house which receives daylight.
The cool, shadowy realm of the stairwell (almost black walls, ceiling and balustrade) distinguishes this transitional space from the rest of the house which receives daylight.
Apertures or skylight seen from the roof terrace
Having done many courtyards in previous projects, Formwerkz wanted to do something different this time and conceptualised a terrarium-like courtyard.
Photo by Reef Singh
Another twist on the courtyard is the level at which it sits. This is the shared boundary wall where a narrow courtyard has been built. Having the trees in planters elevates them “giving you the feeling of being in a sunken space”. Tay even calls it “an ant’s perspective” where the slender tree trunks – something easily overlooked – become the focus on the ground floor.
Another twist on the courtyard is the level at which it sits. This is the shared boundary wall where a narrow courtyard has been built. Having the trees in planters elevates them “giving you the feeling of being in a sunken space”. Tay even calls it “an ant’s perspective” where the slender tree trunks – something easily overlooked – become the focus on the ground floor.
Read more:
Future of Architecture: 7 Challenges & Trends
Architecture & Design: 34 Rebellious Interiors
Tell us:
What did you find most striking about this home? Share in the Comments below.
Future of Architecture: 7 Challenges & Trends
Architecture & Design: 34 Rebellious Interiors
Tell us:
What did you find most striking about this home? Share in the Comments below.
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Who lives here: Married couple
Where is it: Seletar
Type of property: Semi-detached house
Architect: Formwerkz Architects
Aperture House – the moniker couldn’t be more apt. American painter and sculptor Ellsworth Kelly said “Photography isolates the world via an aperture”. It was the clients’ explicit wish to be disengaged from the outside once inside their home. Privacy as well as blocking the harsh sunlight and heat were their concerns.
Alan Tay, founding partner at Formwerkz Architects and Festival Director of this year’s Archifest explains the term, “Very much like how the aperture in photography calibrates the opening to control the amount of light, these apertures capture, calibrate and contain the right amount of daylight within.”
Ensuring privacy when you have a pool in front of the house may seem unworkable but the design team responded by extending the roof by a massive 5 metres. This forms a ‘ceiling’ over the pool and cuts off the view looking in from outside the building’s wall. Then through a series of apertures or skylights cut into the roof, filtered light reaches the pool.
Tay points to the sentry of trees between the pool and the boundary wall to throw more light upon the clients’ brief: “They appreciate nature in a controlled aesthetic. This appreciation for the simplicity of nature translates into a disciplined and considered garden where a few trees make a huge impact.”