House of Gables

The House of Gables, as nicknamed by RT+Q Architects, won a merit award at the Singapore Institute of Architects Design Awards in 2021.

The jury liked that, “reconstituted in a new house with clear form and lines, familiarity for the occupants is retained and coupled with the resolution of programmatic functions, the character of the family is palpably present and the balance of all factors in execution was appreciable”.

Land slopes downwards

One of the challenges in redesigning the home came from the terrain of the land, which sloped downwards towards the back. The old house was sited at an angle on the land, meaning that the outdoor space could not be fully utilised.

For the new home, the team repositioned and designed the building to follow the terrain of the land, creating a terrace-like ground floor.

Living Room

From the living room, there is a clear view of the deck and infinity lap pool, which overlook the 30 m long garden.

The house is U-shaped, so that family members can have their private space. On the second floor, the son and daughter have 1 wing each, while mum has her own space in the centre.

Dry Kitchen

Each wing is designed like an apartment with its own dry kitchen and living room, which looks out into the garden.

The client also remembers it being a hassle parking their cars on the steep sloping driveway previously, so a more gentle one has been created, with 2 carparks – 1 under each wing.

Driveway

It is not only the family who prefer the spacious new driveway, but as they like to entertain, guests who drop by are benefiting from it too.

The old house had a double volume foyer which the family liked, so this design was incorporated into the new house.

Staircase

On one end of the foyer is the staircase leading to the upper floor, while on the other end is the newly installed lift.

The family also loved the dormer windows of their old home, so they specially requested for them as well.

Foyer

The team installed 2 at the foyer, but gave them a modern touch with steel edgings.

Gable Roof

The old house had a gable roof, which was included in the new design. The team also installed rafters into the ceilings, replicating how it was in the old home.

A couple of old lights were retained and they still look as stylish as when they were first installed. Even some of the timber and marble floorings were kept and reinstalled.

Verandahs

To ensure that the family gets to enjoy the outdoors as much as the indoors, large verandahs were built, both at the front and back of the house.

The family had previously complained about the lack of ventilation in the room, but with the large verandahs, they can leave windows and doors open to allow air and light to come through, while keeping the rain out.

The new house may be the same size as the old, but the internal spaces are better planned, the rooms have views to the outside and are now more comfortable for tropical living.

“In the process, we’ve also made the house very sustainable,” says Quek. No doubt, this new home will be able to last the family for at least another 4 decades.

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Originally published in The Business Times in 2022.