Being property developers, this couple had seen their fair share of square houses and wanted something different. They had already been living in their house for over 20 years, and it was torn down to make way for the new one.
Their brief to RT+Q Architects was to do something they had never done before. To meet her challenge, the architecture team came up with the idea of an egg-shaped house. “The owners love nature, which inspired us to create a soft form for the building, hence the organic shape,” says RT+Q associate Koh Sock Mui, who headed the project. “It also looks less intrusive in the neighbourhood.”
The egg-shape is a first for the design firm, and while it stands out on street level, the best view is from above – which only birds get to enjoy.
The couple are art lovers, so a mini art gallery was built in their basement to house their growing collection of artworks.
On the first floor is an atrium with a pair of bridges running across the centre of the house. This atrium is all-white, giving it an ethereal look, especially when light streams down from the cross-shaped skylight, inspired by Tadao Ando’s Church of Light.
The pool, pretty much a given in such homes, is in an usual location. It is cantilevered on the same level as the couple’s bedroom, giving the Missus easy access when she does her morning laps.
The Missus is pleased that the new house doesn’t look anything like the neighbours’. It has plenty of space for greens and art, including a bird-like sculpture in the garden that moves in the wind. “I love the spaciousness, and when I step outside, it feels like I’m entering the garden of Eden,” she says.
This story was first published in The Business Times. Click here to read the original story.