Conservation houses in Singapore are notoriously challenging when converting to modern residences, as they have to abide by numerous restrictions set by the government. While these rules ensure that the look of the house, and its heritage, remains intact, it also makes it difficult for people who love living in these colonial structures. Homeowners George and Lysa Goh purchased this 2,000sqm plot with a conservation bungalow before realising that it suffered from regular flooding as it was two metres below street level. 

It was then that they approached studioMilou, the French firm that won the architectural competition for the National Gallery of Singapore, and convinced its founder Jean-Francois Milou to take on the project. 

The family also wanted an additional 700sqm of living space including common areas, a music room, six bedrooms to serve three generations and a pool. Mr Milou overcame all the challenges and met the clients' brief with a design that gives a sense of transparency and fludity between the old and the new buildings, and between the interior and exterior.

The old building was restored, with its original ceiling beams exposed, with a spacious open air kitchen added at the back. The building serves as the main living and dining room for the family. The family's bedrooms, the music room, and a small living room are housed in the new two-storey building. But what is most interesting is the outer wall of the new building, a screen-like structure made of glass reinforced concrete and aluminium panels. A rectangular pool lines one outer wall of the new house.

Upon entering the compound, visitors see part of the wall and the conservation house, not knowing the monumental scale of the new house. The new house could easily overwhelm the old house, and stand out like a sore thumb in the neighbourhood, but Mr Milou had no intention of doing that. Instead he created a garden path that runs along the perimeter of the compound. Lush greenery lines both sides of the path. What the neighbours see is a wall of green. The dense foliage caress the many glass surfaces of the house, even those on the second storey where most of the bedrooms are.

Mrs Goh says that she and her husband enjoy jogging on the garden path. "We don't head out to exercise anymore," she adds. Three rounds around the compound add up to a 1km run. Her favourite spot at home is the rooftop garden, which naturally also has lots of plants growing on it. "I like to have breakfast here, and look out onto the neighbourhood," she says.

(Architect Jean-Francois Milou and homeowner Lysa Goh)

The lush planting which includes over 2,000 trees has attracted plenty of wildlife, such as squirrels and baby owls to visit. "Sometimes it feels like a second zoo here," says Mrs Goh. For Mr Milou, completing his first residential project in Singapore has led to the firm designing a few more residences. The firm does more public and civic buildings. "There will definitely be more studioMilou homes in the near future," he says.

Article by Tay Suan Chiang, originally appeared in The Business Times.

Photos courtesy of studioMilou