House Tour: A movable bamboo facade sets this semi-detached house in Bukit Timah apart from her neighbours
By Home & Decor Team -
After 15 years, their home on Bukit Timah was starting to show its age with electrical problems, water seepage and popping tiles. Still, this family of three – a professional couple and their teenage daughter – didn’t want to leave their neighbourhood. Unsure if a renovation would suffice, or if they ought to tear it down and redesign it, the family consulted Robin Tan of Wallflower Architecture + Design, who suggested that the latter would better meet their current needs.
When it came down to the new look of their home, the inspiration came when they were on vacation in Tokyo. They were at the Nezu Museum, and everyone was enchanted by its bamboo facade. “It was love at first sight – the texture and colour left a deep impression,” says the husband.
Robin conceptualised the bamboo screen as a veil, wrapping around the house in Bukit Timah, like fabric. Individual pieces of locally-sourced bamboo were mounted onto steel frames to create the screens.
The movable bamboo screens flow around the rounded edges of the building, creating a soft and organic layer.
The bamboo veil not only makes the house stand out visually among the other houses in the neighbourhood, it also provides shade and privacy. The screens can be opened to let the breeze in.
“The bamboo facade offers flexibility for natural ventilation without compromising privacy, which meets the owner’s expectations of a tropical modern home,” says Mr Tan.
The ground floor of the 4,150sq ft two-storey home with an attic has a ground floor designed to accommodate big gatherings.
The master bedroom was expanded, and the bathroom is now big enough to house a standalone tub.
Photos by Marc Tey Photography
This story was originally published in The Business Times. Click here to read the original story.